Growing Pains
by Saikia
Summary: Things are changing since the Sorceress Battle of one year before. Epilouge to Zell and Selphie Censor has been changed due to language and suggestive themes. Completed
1. Quistis's Complicated Day

(Disclaimer: Welcome to the epilouge of Zell and Selphie. I named it Growing Pains because of the pain Fujjin has from baring a child, the emotional struggle between Rajjin and Seifer, and a few other things. Hope you enjoy it)  
  
Quistis's Complicated Day  
  
Selphie: Hey, Rinoa! How are you doing? You seem pretty depressed today.  
  
Rinoa picked up the note thrown to her. She read the sentence scribbled across it. She didn't feel like writing back, but figured it might cheer her up if she did.  
  
Rinoa: Yeah..you can probably guess why. You didn't hear that Squall was missing?  
  
Selphie: Well, I know he's been gone for a day, but don't worry about it. Squall's tough. He'll be just fine.  
  
Rinoa: I hope so. It was really weird. The day before he left, he didn't say anything. I feel like he hates me.  
  
Selphie: Why would he hate YOU? You're the most loveable person ever! But of course, noone loves anyone as much as they love me, cause, well, you know, I'm just that way.  
  
Rinoa picked up the note and read it. She smiled, beginning to feel better.  
  
Rinoa: Thanks for trying to cheer me up, Selphie. I just hope he returns before the SeeD ball.  
  
Selphie: De'ja'vu, huh? You were gone right before the SeeD ball six months ago. Maybe he'll end up having posession powers too, and smack Quistis with another pie.  
  
Rinoa laughed out loud a bit after reading Selphie's remark, then noticed everyone had turned their attention toward her. She slumped down in her seat. Quistis looked up to her. "Rinoa, may I see that note?"  
  
Rinoa walked to the front, and handed Quistis the note. Quistis opened it, and began reading it aloud, but then decided not to, and folded it back up, and placed it in her pocket. "Detention, for both you and Selphie," Quistis said.  
  
"AGAIN," Seifer joked. "Would you two like to join the Disipline Committee? You two get more detentions than I do."  
  
"And that's another you'll get for talking in class, Seifer Almasy," Quistis told him.  
  
He shrugged and slumped down in his seat. "Doesn't bother me."  
  
Quistis focused her attention to Rinoa again. "You'll have detention this afternoon, and Selphie, you'll have it tomorrow afternoon."  
  
Zell took out a wrapped piece of bubblegum and stuck it in his mouth, and started chewing away at it loudly. "Look, instructor, I'm chewing gum!"  
  
Quistis looked to him. "If you would have pulled that tomorrow, there would have been a chance I assigned you detention with Selphie."  
  
"But you never do when I do something the same day as her," Zell replied, "so I figured 'What the heck?'"  
  
Quistis placed her forehead in her hands, obviously getting irritated with this. "Zell, detention for you this afternoon,"  
  
"AGAIN," Seifer told him.  
  
"And one for you tomorrow afternoon, as well, Seifer," Quistis said.  
  
He shrugged. "Doesn't bother me."  
  
Quistis was getting quite irritable with this little game, and luckily, the bell rang. The sweet, sweet sound of the bell. Everyone stood and left, while Rinoa and Seifer stayed behind.   
  
"See you later, Rinny. Sorry I got you caught," Selphie whispered to her as she passed her seat.  
  
"No problem," Rinoa told her. "I'm getting used to all the detentions."  
  
Selphie giggled, and walked out, waving goodbye to her. Quistis walked out as well, securing the timed-lock on the door. When she was in the hallway, she unfolded the note, and read it over. She felt pity for Rinoa, seeing Squall did just get up and leave like that. Why would he leave her days before he planned on proposing to her?  
  
Matron was coming down the hall, dressed in the official instructor uniform, and her long black hair in a tight french braid.   
  
"I made the cut!" She said excited.  
  
"That's great," Quistis told her. "I think you'll be really great with the kids. You were good with us when we were young, and if you could put up with Seifer, I think you could put up with anyone."  
  
Matron noticed Quistis's classroom had been locked. "Is he in there?"  
  
Quistis nodded. "Yes, he got detention again. I put a timed-lock on it, so he can't leave until an hour from now."  
  
Matron rubbed in chin in thought. "Might I make a suggestion?"  
  
"Sure," Quistis said. "What is it?"  
  
"Well," Matron started, "you need to stay in the class with your students. I know that Seifer drives you nuts, but detention shouldn't be something fun."  
  
Quistis scratched her head. "I guess you're right." She paused, then started laughing. "I've been teaching here over a year, but it seems you're the one who's teaching me."  
  
Matron smiled. "I had to put up with you."  
  
Quistis nodded. "Thanks, Matron."  
  
"Call me Edea," she said. "I know you're used to calling me Matron, but if the other kids got used to that name, they may think it sounds evil, like Matrix."  
  
Quistis laughed a bit. "You do have a point."  
  
Edea seemed a bit disturbed by something. "I was eighteen when I let you all go by the age of five, and now I'm thirty-one. That's not too old, is it?"  
  
Quistis smiled. "Of course not. We still have your geezer of a husband, Cid, here, don't we?"  
  
Edea laughed. "Well, he's four years older than I, and wants to retire. He hardly has gray hairs, if any."  
  
Quistis passed her, then said "I have some paperwork I need to tend to, so I'll see you later. I think I'll get to that detention plan tomorrow."  
  
"You won't have Seifer in your class tomorrow?"  
  
"No, I have him tomorrow," Quistis told her, "but I've had too rough of a day to handle much more of him today."  
  
They parted, and Quistis headed for the Teacher's Lounge, thinking about Rinoa's note.  
  
(Lots of talking, yesh? I'm trying to immitate a hypello =P) 


	2. Stuck in Detention

(Disclaimer: If you haven't gone back and checked, some people were complaining earlier about my chapters from "Zell and Selphie" having some unappropriate pronouns. My sister went back and read it, and boy, were you all right =S anyways, those have been fixed. I didn't even catch onto them until later. If you have anymore suggestions or anything, tell me, kay? Thanks)  
  
Stuck In Detention  
  
Rinoa was lying her head down on her desk. She was so tired. It had been a long day for her, and now it was going to seem even longer, seeing she was in detention AGAIN. She didn't mind being in detenion earlier with Selphie. Of course, she did have Zell to talk to. He seemed pretty quiet and to himself today, too, though. Seifer was sitting in the corner, reading some magazine and listening to his CD Player, and Zell appeared to be drawing some more cartoons of him and Selphie.  
  
Rinoa scooted over a few desks, and was peeking at what Zell was drawing. It wasn't a picture of him and Selphie, but she couldn't quite see what he WAS drawing.  
  
"Hey, Zell. Whatcha drawing?"  
  
"Just a picture of Selphie," he said. Once Rinoa got a good look at it, she noticed it was indeed Selphie. It was a drawing of her in the dress she wore at the previous SeeD ball, in her light blue dress, but it looked like someone different from far away, because her hair was in pigtails at that time.  
  
Rinoa giggled. "Thought you had a picture of another girl in mind. I forgot Selphie looked like that at the last ball."  
  
Zell smirked, but keeping his attention at the drawing he was creating. "Well, she looks even different now. I never thought she would look good in long hair, but boy, was I wrong."  
  
It was true. Selphie's hair had definetly grown out in the last six months, and the ends of her locks stopped at the middle of her back. Of course, her hair didn't curl outwards like an umbrella anymore, but curled in every direction at the ends. The rest of her hair remained straight. Her bangs had grown out to be long, and she trained them to be pulled behind her ears. Her long hair, green eyes, and fair complexion suited her, though.  
  
Zell had left his hair the same way since the SeeD ball, the same style. Selphie said she liked it, and he came to like it as well. Of course, since he'd worn it so much, she suggested that he switch to another style. He did look more attractive in his hairstyle that he currently had than the one he had previously.  
  
Rinoa had moved away from Zell, and transferred to the other side of the room to see what Seifer was doing.  
  
"Hey, Rin," he said in a low voice. "You gotta quit getting into trouble so much, or I'll make you president of the Disipline Committee."  
  
She giggled. Seifer and Rinoa had become good friends. She always had a crush on him, and she knew he felt the same way, but of course, Rinoa was with Squall, and Seifer was with Fujjin. Rinoa wouldn't have given up Squall for Seifer any day, though. She remained faithful to him, as Seifer remained faithful to Fujjin, or he better had. She was expecting a baby any day now.  
  
She leaned in, trying to see what he was reading. "Reading a naughty magazine?" She joked.  
  
He grinned. "Actually, I am."  
  
Rinoa cupped a hand over her mouth. "If Fujjin caught you--"  
  
He laughed. "Calm down, I'm not. I'm looking for a job."  
  
She gasped. "A job? Who's going to hire you looking like you are?"  
  
He looked up at her. "I can't have long hair like yours?"  
  
Rinoa had remained the same, as in her hairstyle. It had maybe grown an inch, and no more, but Seifer's was a bushel. His hair curled in the back, and he had sideburns that were growing down the sides of his face. His long curly hair actually made him appear younger, though.  
  
She smiled. "Well, I like your hair the way it is, but I don't know if everyone does." She paused, then asked "Where are you planning on working?"  
  
He shrugged. "That's why I'm looking in here for a job."  
  
She moved back to her seat, and sat down. She couldn't stop thinking about Squall. She decided to take a load off of her mind, and switched the computer at her seat online. She decided to send a message to Selphie, to see if she was online elsewhere.  
  
Rinoa: Selphie, how are you doing?  
  
She waited a moment, and then got a reply.  
  
Selphie: I'm doing fine. Still in detention?  
  
Rinoa: Of course. Are you in the library or something?  
  
Selphie: Yeah, I'm on one of their computers. The bell's about to ring. You wanna head for Balamb when it does?  
  
Rinoa: What for?  
  
Selphie: I'm going to go meet up with Zell, and we're going to go swimming by the pier. You wanna come?  
  
Rinoa: Sure. I'll meet you there.  
  
Selphie: Coolness! See you in a few!  
  
Rinoa turned off her computer, and not a second later did the bell ring. She stood and left from the classroom, and took the elevator down to the second floor to go meet up with Selphie.  
  
(Yes yes, short. This chapter just basically suggests how Selphie, Zell, Rinoa, and Seifer have changed. It's a bit silly, I know, and I'll tell later how some of the other people have changed.) 


	3. Left Out

(Disclaimer: Sorry the last chapter was so boring, but I'm going to have one more like that a little bit later to show you how the other characters have changed. One of my reviewers (Yuffish) suggested something good. Well, actually she was stating something, but she gave me a good idea for later. Read on)  
  
Left Out  
  
Rinoa and Selphie left Balamb Garden for the pier. At the pier, they met up with Zell. It appeared that Selphie already had slipped her bathing suit under her typical yellow denim sundress. Zell just wore his polyester shorts that he wore from school to swim in at the pier waters. Rinoa hadn't brought anything, so she just sat at the dock.  
  
Selphie was, of course, wearing a yellow bikini. She quickly jumped into the waters by the dock, and Zell followed, now dressed only in his shorts. They wrestled a bit in the water, and Rinoa enjoyed watching them..to an extent, but then she was beginning to miss Squall. She wished she at least had a bathing suit, but she was only wearing a light-blue tank top and dark short shorts.  
  
She was kicking her feet around in the water, and didn't expect the tug. Selphie had grabbed her foot that was trailing around in the water, and before Rinoa knew it, she was pulled into the cold dock waters. She gasped when she came up to the surface, but then quickly started laughing. When Selphie rose to the surface, she laughed as well. Selphie was one to quickly judge if someone was in a bad mood or not, and she would quickly fix it.  
  
"Thanks, Selphie," Rinoa said. "You always know how to cheer me up."  
  
Selphie smiled. "Just doing my job."  
  
Before Rinoa could even see it coming, Zell had come up from behind her, and pressed her back underwater. When she came back up to the surface, Selphie took one arm, and Rinoa took his other, and they threw him slightly above the surface, then pulled him back under. They all laughed. Zell scratched is head.  
  
"Only trying to help," he said.  
  
"Well, it's my job to make her smile," Selphie joked.  
  
Rinoa smiled, but was in her guilty mood again. She felt like everyone was trying to make her smile and cheery, but she tried to shake out of it. She was an optimistic, not a pessimistic.  
  
After an hour of swimming, they all pulled up onto the docks, and sat with their legs hanging over the edge and their feet in the water. There was an awkward silence, then Selphie stood and left them for a second.  
  
"Be right back!" She shouted, and ran into Balamb town.  
  
Zell was trying to dry out his hair a little. "Where is she going?"  
  
Rinoa shrugged. Zell began to notice that she was frowning again.  
  
"Hey, Rin, you okay?"  
  
She wasn't even aware that he asked the question until he put a hand on her shoulder and began shaking her. She looked to him, and shook her head, then smiled.  
  
"I'm fine. I just..haven't seen Squall in a while, so I'm a bit worried."  
  
Zell returned the smile. "As long as he doesn't get posessed like you did."  
  
Rinoa wasn't thinking about that, and didn't need to worry about something like that. She knew Squall could well defend himself, and then she almost wanted to laugh. She found it funny that if Squall did get posessed, and hit Quistis with another pie. She also found it funny that Zell and Selphie said about the same things.  
  
Selphie returned, with both hands behind her back. "Choose one," she said in a singsong voice.  
  
Zell looked back and forth, trying to see through her, but failed. "I'll take the one on the right."  
  
Selphie brought both hands to the front, and revealed two hotdogs. Zell's face perked up.  
  
"In that case," he said excited, "I'll take both of them."  
  
Selphie walked over to both of them, and handed Rinoa the less complicated hotdog. She handed Zell the one piled with ketchup, mustard, relish, onions, chili, and probably a hammer and nails if you looked close enough.  
  
Selphie sat by them at the dock, and admired Zell as he ate his hotdog. He would glance at her once in a while, and give a sheepish smile, and she would laugh, because his face would have food all over it. They both giggled, but Rinoa couldn't help but feel left out. She stood from the dock, leaving her hotdog behind, and began to walk from them. Selphie noticed her.   
  
"Rinny, what's wrong?"  
  
Like she didn't even hear Selphie, Rinoa ignored her, and fled from the docks. She walked fast at first, and then ran. She heard the pounding of small, quick steps behind her, but they eventually ceased. She returned to the Garden, and to her dorm room. She shut the door behind her, and locked it, then escaped to her bed, and finally cried. Within a few minutes, she had cried herself to sleep.  
  
(Poor Rinnish, I know ;.; and short, too, I know ;.;) 


	4. The New Student

(Disclaimer: I know this series is going much slower than the other one, but that's cause I had the other one planned out in the past, and I reedited it a bit, but this one, I have to think up from scratch ;.; hope it's okay so far.)  
  
The New Student  
  
Quistis was in the Teacher's Lounge, sorting through some paperwork. She kept fingering the lump in her pocket, where Rinoa's note had been. Speaking of Rinoa, she hadn't heard from her all day. She figured she had run off with Selphie, and maybe Zell. As long as they were off having fun, and Rinoa had her mind off of Squall, and was enjoying herself, she didn't care what they did, as long as they weren't causing mischief.  
  
It was getting late. Everyone was probably returning to their dorm rooms by now. Down the hall, Quistis listened as she heard the elevator ascend to the second floor. She paid no attention to it, and continued with her paperwork. However, she started getting suspicious when the footsteps kept leading up and down the halls. Was someone lost?  
  
She walked out into the hallway, bumping into the stranger. She looked up to him. She gasped at first, at how much this boy resembled Squall. He was near Squall's height, and had the same dark, large eyes as Squall had, but his hair was a lighter shade of brown, and his eyes were a deep, dark green, not brown. He was dressed in casual clothes, not in the Garden's uniforms.  
  
A new student? She wondered. He seemed shy like Squall, too. He rubbed the back of his head, and smiled shyly.  
  
"Sorry to bump into you, ma'am. I was looking for the Headmaster."  
  
She raised her eyebrows. "Why do you need to see him this late?"  
  
He lowered his head, feeling a bit ashamed for walking in so late. "I transferred here from Trabia, and I know that the school year is almost over. My parents moved into the town of Balamb, cause my dad is looking for a job there, so I have to finish my school year here, but some kids at Trabia said I was actually old enough to become an instructor."  
  
Quistis was curious. "How old are you?"  
  
He shuffled his foot along the ground, not staring up at her. "Nineteen. I was held back a year."  
  
Quistis smiled. Nineteen? She was beginning to like this boy, more than she realized. Maybe she could take him under her wing and teach him a few things. His mind seemed a little underdeveloped, like he was a boy caught in a young man's body, but maybe he just acted this way because he was shy. But what if he liked her, too?  
  
Quistis looked down at her watch. It was a few minutes until midnight. She looked back up to the boy. "What's your name?"  
  
He looked up, smiling shyly again. Quistis loved is shy smile. It reminded her of Squall's smile, when he actually did smile. "Raiun," he said.  
  
"Well," she started, "everyone is asleep, and most likely, the Headmaster is, too, so why don't you return tomorrow, and I can help you out?"  
  
"Can't I go to the Headmaster tomorrow?"  
  
"You could, but I'm planning on becoming Headmaster soon," she partly lied.  
  
He nodded. "Well, in that case, maybe I will meet with you tomorrow. May I ask what your name is?"  
  
Quistis was playing with a strand of short, curly hair. Her hair had been cut a few months ago, and now she had short, curly golden locks of hair. Everyone said she looked better in her short hair than she did when her hair was long. "Quistis Trepe," she said.  
  
He smiled. "Well, Instructor Trepe--"  
  
"Call me Quistis."  
  
"--Quistis--I guess I'll see you tomorrow."  
  
He turned from her, and walked quickly down the hallway, glancing back at her a few times, and smiling. When he descended to the first floor by elevator, and well out of sight, Quistis sighed happily. Surely, she couldn't be falling for a student? Well, it could be possible. She used to have a crush on Squall before Rinoa came along, and besides, this boy was her age, and wanting to become an instructor, but what if she were to become the Headmaster?   
  
She felt dizzy from all the confusing questions rattling in her mind, but returned to her paperwork, and checked the last few papers that she was assigned to check. She stood from her desk, and walked into the back room, the room beyond the Teacher's Lounge: her own room. She lied on her bed, and remembered Raiun's sweet, shy smile, and smiled herself as she quickly drifted into sleep.  
  
(I must thank Yuff16 for this. This was partially her idea, because she suggested another person for Quistis. Thanks Yuffie '.'! And if you didn't know, "Raiun" is pronounced the same way as "Ryan") 


	5. The Student Teacher

(Disclaimer: Lord, I'm gonna end up losing my readers x.X..I'm so sorry I haven't updated in a while. I've been on vacation for nearly two weeks. Don't throw rocks at me ;.; PS, my birthday ish next Saturday '.'! I'll be 16 muwhaha!)

The Student Teacher

The following morning, very early, Quistis walked into her classroom, and as she expected, the new student had stumbled into the doorway, but he had fallen asleep. She looked down at her watch. It was nearing 7:00. She looked down at Raiun, smiled, then stepped on through into her classroom. The 7:00 bell rang moments later, and Raiun awoke with a start. He sat up, and looked in the doorway, noticing the classroom had now been lit. He saw Quistis, stood, and walked to her shyly. He scratched his head. 

"Didn't mean to fall asleep and be in your way, Quistis," he said.

She frowned. She had asked him to call her Quistis, but around the students, he would need to call her Instructor. "I need to remind you to call me Instructor Trepe around my students."

He seemed embarrassed and blushed. "So sorry." His eyes had lit up when his face burned a bright red. He scratched his head as he noticed Quistis was staring at him, but she couldn't help but stare into his large green eyes. "Something wrong?"

Quistis blinked, shaking her back into reality. "I'm sorry." She remembered what he asked of previously. "So, you want to become an instructor?"

He nodded. "Yes, I do."

She crossed her arms. "Well, I'll have to perform a test. You have to teach the class for the day, and I'll instruct you a bit, but my job, for the most part, would be to watch you and see how you do with the students."

He frowned, and seemed a little unconfident. "I don't know."

She smiled, trying to reassure him. "You'll do fine. If you really want to be an instructor, you must learn how to communicate with the students first." She showed him the scedule as to what would happen in class today, and he studied over it. Minutes later, the students began to pile into the classroom as the 8:00 bell rang.

Quistis patted him on the back before moving to a chair at the end of the classroom, where she could observe him. "Good luck."

When everyone became situated into their chairs, Raiun stood from his and addressed the class. "My name is Raiun. I'll be instructing you today. I'm working on becoming an instructor." 

He heard a voice from the back of the class. "What are YOU doing here, Raiun?" It was the notorious Seifer.

Raiun frowned. "For your information, SEIFER, I'm teaching today, so you're going to have to listen to me."

Quistis blinked, and was quite amazed by a few things. For one, she was surprised by Raiun's tone toward Seifer, for it caused Seifer to sit back down in his seat, and he ended up remaining quiet for a good while, but how did Raiun even know him?

The class dragged along smoothly, but in the middle of class time, Raiun couldn't help but notice Rinoa and Selphie passing notes to each other. "Ladies, may I see that note?"

Seifer grabbed it in the air when Rinoa had thrown it to Selphie. He opened it, and began reading it aloud, trying to fend off Rinoa from trying to grab the note back. "Hey, Selphie! This guy looks just like Squall! It's crazy. I really miss him, and this Raiun guy reminds me of him: his deep green eyes and long hair. He's so cute, but I still miss my.." Seifer hesitated, and then read especially loud "SQUALLY-WALLY!"

By this time, Rinoa had grabbed the note back, and crumpled it up, shoving it into her pocket. Her face was a deep red, which made Seifer just laugh harder, and she returned to her seat, lying her face down in her hands on her desk. Selphie scooted over to her, walked to the front, gave the note to Raiun, and returned to her seat as well.

The rest of the class proved to have no problems. By the end of class, everyone was anxious to get out the door, but Selphie stayed behind, remembering her detention she had that afternoon, and Seifer stayed as well.

Quistis bid Raiun a farewell, along with his high score. "You did an excellent job," she assured him. 

He smiled meekly. "Thanks." He walked out, but not before glancing back at Seifer and making a stern face. Seifer turned the other way, and scoffed. Raiun left, and Quistis returned to her desk, telling both Selphie and Seifer about her discussion with Edea. "She discussed that I should be watching you, and not letting you have any fun."

"Sounds like Matron," Seifer mumbled, "to ruin all the fun."

Quistis frowned. "Don't speak ill of another instructor." She paused, then asked, "Seifer, how does Raiun know you?"

He shrugged casually. "We're brothers."

She was obviously shocked. "I didn't know you had a brother."

He was keeping his gaze away from her. "Mom and Dad couldn't live with another child 'cause it was too expensive, so they dropped me off at the orphanage, while they kept Raiun because he was the older and best-loved child." He appeared to be hurt.

Quistis began thinking: Could Seifer be such a trouble-maker because he was so insecure and jealous of Raiun? When Seifer first joined the orphanage, he was a fairly quiet child, and developed into a rotten one.

Her thoughts were interupted when Fujjin walked in through the door. Though, it was a bit difficult to enter with her large tummy. Quistis saw her, and seemed somewhat relieved. "There you are. Where have you been?"

Seifer stood from his seat, and quickly made his way to the front, and held Fujjin. "She's been in Section C for the last few days."

Quistis was concerned. "You needed surgery?"

Fujjin smiled. "The doctors figured I might have needed it because the fetus is growing so slowly, and they suspected maybe it was dying, but I just wasn't eating enough."

Quistis frowned. "Why weren't you?"

Fujjin took Seifer's hand into her own. "I've been in the hospital for such a long time, almost a month, and I was missing Seifer." Just as she finished her sentence, she heard a faint splashing sound. She looked down, and gasped. "My water broke!"

Seifer gasped as well. "Oh shoot, oh shoot! We need to get out of here and into Balamb!"

Quistis excused Seifer from detention, then said, "Head to the parking lot and get to Balamb by car. It'll be much faster." When they left the classroom, Seifer looked back to Quistis, who added "Good luck."

Selphie ran after them. "I wanna see the baby be born!" 

The classroom was silent, then Quistis couldn't help but laugh a little. "I think Selphie got out of class so she wouldn't have detention," she thought to herself, but then her laughter quickly faded. "I hope Fujjin will be okay.."

(Git'r Done! I finally wrote something Oo;! Oh, and by the way, I'm still deciding on a name for Fujjin's baby. It's going to be a girl, so think up them girl names, kay? Don't tell me through the reviews. Email me at so it'll be a secret for the rest of the reviewers. Thanks) 


	6. Making A Good Impression

(Disclaimer: Well, I'm still waiting on some ideas for a name for Fujjin's baby. Remember, it's gonna be a girl. I may end up thinking up a name of my own. I wanted to combine "Seifer" and "Fujjin" and make something like "Seijin" but that sounds dumb. Anyways, hope to hear from you guys soon!)  
  
Making A Good Impression  
  
Rinoa had traveled along the hallways slowly, deep in thought, or was she deep in depression?  
  
She first explored the cafeteria. As expected, she found Zell, standing in the food line, and anxiously waiting to see what was being served. Maybe it was hotdogs, because the line was long today, and hotdogs were a rare sight at the cafeteria. He turned as he heard footsteps approaching him. "Hey, Rin. Sorry about what happened in class today."  
  
She smiled lightly, her face turning a bit flushed when she remembered what happened. "It's okay. At least that Raiun guy didn't embarrass me." She paused, then said, "Say, have you noticed he looks like Squall?"  
  
Zell smiled shortly. "Yeah, but he's Seifer's brother."  
  
Rinoa blinked. "How do you know that?"  
  
Zell chuckled a bit. "Selphie passed me in the halls. I barely understood a word she said because she was out of breath, but she managed to tell me that she was heading for the parking lot, then just randomly said out of nowhere 'Did'ja-know-that-Raiun-is-Seifer's-brother? Gottago-now-toodloo!' She said it so fast that it took a few moments after she ran off for what she said to catch up to me."  
  
Rinoa giggled. "I would have never guessed that a Squall look-alike would be related to Seifer. They don't even look the same."  
  
Zell's face had turned stern. He was obviously thinking something. "There's something weird about the guy, and I can't put my finger on it."  
  
Rinoa frowned. "What do you mean?"  
  
"Well, he's Seifer's brother. Do you think he could possibly be worse than Seifer is?"  
  
Rinoa shook her head. "I don't think so. He seemed nice enough, almost shy."  
  
"Well, all I know is.. his voice was cold enough, harsh enough to shut Seifer up. I know he's Seifer's older brother, obviously, if he's planning on being an instructor, but he just seems.. too nice."  
  
"He could be a big softy like Squall," Rinoa said, "and a little gruff once and a while."  
  
Zell grinned. "You mean Squall-Wally?"  
  
Rinoa put her hands on her hips, and stuck her tongue out. "Very funny."  
  
"Well," Zell said, "watch yourself. I think he suspects something of you."  
  
Rinoa frowned. "What do you mean?"  
  
"Well, I noticed that, as you left the classroom, he watched your every move, until you got through the doorway, then he took his score that Quistis gave him, and casually made his way out of the room. I followed him, and noticed that he was still watching you."  
  
Rinoa scoffed. "Don't be silly."  
  
"All I'm saying is.. since you mentioned in your note that he looks like Squall and is kinda cute, he may have taken it to heart and he could end up stalking you."  
  
Rinoa rolled her eyes. "Puh-lease, Zell."  
  
Zell's tone had changed. He was getting a little impatient with trying to get his point across to Rinoa. "Rinny, just remember what I say, okay? I'm your friend, and I don't want to see you hurt. I always had a gut-aching feeling about Seifer, but even he and I are getting along now, but there's just something really fishy about Raiun that I don't like. Just remember that, okay?"  
  
Rinoa sighed. "Okay, I'll watch myself, Daddy."  
  
Usually, that would have made Zell laugh, but the remark just made him harder. "I'm serious, Rinoa." Seeing that he couldn't get Rinoa to fully believe him, he turned away from her, and walked back into the hotdog line. Rinoa turned the other way, but kept glancing back at Zell, hoping she hadn't hurt his feelings.  
  
As she walked past the swinging double-doors of the cafeteria, she brushed past Raiun. He noticed her immediatly. "Hi, Rinoa."  
  
Rinoa smiled. How could this guy be so bad? He was so polite and sweet. "You remembered my name?"  
  
He returned the smile. "Of course. I kept reading your note over and over. You find me attractive?"  
  
She blushed a little. "Well, you remind me so much of my boyfriend."   
  
Raiun frowned. "You have a boyfriend?"  
  
"Yeah. I haven't seen him a couple of days, though. I really miss him. You ever heard of Squall Leonhart?"  
  
He nodded. "Yes, I have. Seifer and Squall used to be rivals, I heard." He paused a moment, then said "So.. Squall isn't here?"  
  
Rinoa shook her head sadly. "No, he's not."  
  
"Well, you don't think for a moment that he could be cheating on you?"  
  
"Oh, no, not at all. He's too good to do that to me."  
  
Raiun moved closer to her, and played with a strand of her glossy, raven hair that had fallen over her eyes. "If you were with me, I'd never cheat on you. Not saying that you will be. It's just that I find you rather.."  
  
"Rather..?"  
  
"Attractive. Your deep brown eyes, fair complexion, dark hair.. it's quite rare to see one of such beauty."  
  
"You're flattering me."  
  
"I hoped to. Maybe I'll be seeing you around later, Miss.."  
  
"Heartilly. Rinoa Heartilly."  
  
"Heartilly. You last name suits you well. Your beauty would catch anyones heart."  
  
Rinoa blushed lightly. "Oh, sure."  
  
Raiun smiled softly. "Well, I'll be seeing you later, then." He walked into the cafeteria, and disappeared into the crowd, but not before glancing back at her a few times, his gaze caught onto her staring brown eyes.   
  
"Good," he thought to himself, "I have her right where I want her to be."  
  
(Kinda reminds you of Irvine, doesn't it? =S) 


	7. Squall Returns

(Disclaimer: Still looking for suggestions to a name. I think I might have an idea of one, but send in ideas anyways, cause I might like the reviewer's ideas more than my own.)

Squall Returns

After school, Zell had wandered from Balamb Garden and into the town of Balamb. His mother had fully recovered from her illness, a virus that had been spreading around recently in the town. He was quite relieved. Though she was a spunky woman who was always on her feet and optimistic, she was still getting older and, to be truthful, Zell was always paranoid about anything anyways.

He wondered where Selphie had run off to. He remembered her chasing after Seifer and Fujjin, but he couldn't understand why. Surely, Fujjin wasn't planning on having her baby soon? He hoped not. The closest hospital was in Deling City, but what if she had to have it immediatly?

He needed to not worry about such things. He was such a worry-wart.

He tried to recount about everyone, thinking in his mind if there was something he left out and had forgotten.

Let's see:

Selphie, Seifer, and Fujjin had left for, perhaps, Deling City, so he couldn't go off with Selphie somewhere until they returned.

He hadn't heard from Irvine recently. Irvine had crawled into a shell and noone could quite understand why. He had always been so open with everyone, especially the women, but ever since Raiun arrived, he seemed to have changed.

He hadn't heard from Quistis all afternoon. She was probably dicussing Raiun's performance as an instructor.

That creep, Raiun. Quistis looked like she had been googly-eyed for him. What if Rinoa was falling into the same trap?

"Maybe I should stop worrying so much," he said aloud to himself, staring up at the ceiling as he rested on the soft, twin bed of his room. He sat up, and felt his weight slid back onto the bed. "Rinoa wouldn't be caught in something that easily. Quistis just probably had a crush on him because he's kind of a handsome guy." He coughed. "I don't have to worry about Selphie. She's with me." Zell thought for a second, and clenched his fist. "If that guy ever seduced Selphie, I would kill him."

Who else.. oh, of course, Squall! He couldn't help but wonder where Squall was at. He had been gone for three days, but for what?

He walked downstairs, and out of the house, and into the streets. He sat on the small embankment of porch steps, thinking to himself, when he found himself turning around to a familiar voice.

"Been a while, Zell."

Zell looked back. Squall! He stood immediatly, and ran over to him.

"Ah, man! I didn't know if you were going to be coming back! Everyone's been so worried about you, especially Rinoa."

Squall hung his head a little. "Well, I wanted to surprise her."

"You surprised her, all right. She's missing you terribly. She got into trouble in class today because she was writing notes about you."

Squall laughed lightly. "She's done that before, but I haven't meant to get her into trouble."

Zell crossed one leg in front of the other, waiting to hear Squall's reply to, "So, Squall, where have you been?"

"I went to Deling City to get a ring for Rinoa."

Zell gawked. "Oh, duh! How did I not figure that out?!"

"Don't be so hard on yourself. Well, you see, the train arrivals kept changing, and I kept missing my ride for Deling City a lot of times. I stayed a night at Timber, and a night at Deling City. If I hadn't kept on missing the train, I could've been back by the second day. I didn't mean to worry anyone."

"So, let's see the ring, man."

Squall pulled a small velvet box from his pocket, and opened it to a small, black gem that was placed on a silver band. Zell was a little disappointed.

"You got her a black gem? She likes the color blue."

"Hold it up to the sunlight."

Zell held the gem in the sunlight, and it sparkled an ocean blue, and a radiating streak of rainbow fell onto Zell's shirt from the refraction of the light. "Wow. This had to have been expensive."

"7500 gil," Squall said proudly.

Zell gawked at him. "Boy, your girlfriend is awfully expensive."

Squall smiled shyly. "Not expensive, just worth a lot to me."

Zell stuck his tongue out at Squall. "All right, Shakesphere, no poetry." Zell was still examining the two-toned gem in the light. As he began to lower it, a raven grabbed it out of his fingers with it's talons. "Oh, hell! That bird took your ring."

Irvine had just walked over from the Balamb shop. He had been stocking up on supplies. "Hey guys, what's up?"

"Have you not been listening to what's going on?!" Zell said out of breath. "Shoot that damn bird, it's got Rinoa's wedding ring!"

Unstrapping his shotgun from his holster, Irvine aimed his gun into the sky, and fingered the trigger of the gun. He held his other hand in the holster, ready to grab another bullet in case he missed. He fired. Bullseye. He shot the raven's talon, and it dropped the ring, but it had fallen a little in the distance. "Looks like it fell by the docks," Irvine told them.

"Come on, we have to get that ring," Squall told them, already on foot and running for the docks. Irvine and Zell followed. 

They trailed past the hotel and saw that the ring was still falling in mid-air. It was falling for the dock waters, and just before it fell onto the surface, a fish sprung from the waters and caught the ring in it's mouth.

"Oh, please, don't tell me this.." Squall said, his heart pounding.

Rajjin was at the docks, pulling in the heard of fish with his large net. "Yo, Squall. Haven't seen ya around in a few days, ya know? Everyone says they were worried about you, ya know?"

Zell moved over to Rajjin, and helped him pull in the catch onto the docks. "We have to look through these fish! It ate Rinoa's ring!"

Rajjin laughed. "That sounds like a funny fish story, ya know?"

Zell held him by the colar of his shirt. "This isn't funny, Rajjin! That was Rinoa's wedding ring!"

Rajjin's black face turned pale. "I'll be sending this school of fish on over to the Garden. You want the cafeteria women to search them? The fish will be for the SeeD Ball."

Squall was a little bit relieved, but his heart was still thumping painfully against his chest. "That would be great."

Rajjin nodded. "Alright, I'll be sending these fish on over to the Garden. See you all later." He pulled the net onto his shoulder, then onto the bed of the truck by the dock. He climbed into the driver's seat, and headed for Balamb Garden.

Squall sat down at the docks, his face pale. "That fish will have digested that ring by the time the SeeD Ball comes along." He placed his face into his hands. "Oh my god, what have I done?"

Zell placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't fret about it, Squall. I'm sure everything will come out good in the end."

Squall stood, and started pacing. "I have to go back to Deling City."

Irvine stood as well. "You can't do that. Rinoa's already missing you. You can't run away from the problem."

"I can at least try to get another ring," Squall told them, "and if not, I have to hide away from Rinoa. What am I gonna tell her if I come back empty handed? She'll ask 'Squall, why were you gone for so long?' 'Because I was out buying you a wedding ring.' 'Oh mie gosh, Squall! Where is it?' And you know what I'll tell her? I'll tell her a damn fish ate it!" Squall inhaled deeply, and he sounded as though he was shuddering some, on the verge of tears.

Irvine placed a hand on Squall's other shoulder. "Look, if you keep hiding, it'll only make things worse. Running away isn't going to help it, and if Rinoa really loves you, she'll understand."

Squall exhaled out, and felt a tear running down his cheek. He wiped it away. "Maybe you're right." 

They all followed the trail back to Balamb Garden in silence. 


	8. An Old and New Face

(Disclaimer: I think my reviewers are getting lazy O.O send in them names for Fujjin's baby please! I have an idea of one, but send in some in case I like them best)  
  
An Old and New Face  
  
Quistis had found Raiun down in the cafeteria, and asked him to come with her.  
  
She had taken him to the third floor, at Cid's office. Cid sat down in a large, red chair. He had aged quite a bit. "Raiun, the new student, I assume?" He said.  
  
Raiun nodded. "I've met with you before, sir."  
  
"Well, my memory is slipping. I know you came here a few days ago to see me and to join the school, but Quistis says you want to become an instructor."  
  
"That's right."  
  
"How old are you, son?"  
  
"Nineteen. I hear you have to be at least eighteen to be an instructor, when you graduate from Garden."  
  
"Well, Quistis was an exception," Cid said. Quistis smiled proudly. "but it requires more than a marked score," Cid continued. "I need to see how you do, as well. Quistis watched you and graded you, and that requires me to grade you, as well. I'm not intimidating you, am I?"  
  
"Not at all. I understand."  
  
"Raiun is a good kid," Quistis told Cid. "He's very shy, but when teaching the students, he's liberal, yet firm."  
  
"I'm not saying he isn't," Cid assured her. "I just need to be able to see how he does as well."  
  
Raiun seemed restless. "Can I leave now?"  
  
Cid nodded. "Yes, you can, but make sure and talk to Quistis later this afternoon and schedule a good time for me to come in and examine you as instructor."  
  
Raiun stood, and walked for the elevator quickly. He wanted to see if he could catch up with Rinoa somewhere and talk with her. He had found a real liking to her, more than she imagined.  
  
Cid found it odd that Raiun left in such a hurry, without even saying goodbye. "A bit rude, that was," Cid told Quistis.  
  
"Well, he is shy, and he probably felt uncomfortable talking to a headmaster."  
  
"I suppose so, but I hope he won't be up to any mischief."  
  
"I don't think so. He seems like a very well-mannered young man."  
  
"I hope so."  
  
Raiun took the elevator down to the first floor. He gazed down the stairs, scanning the area for Rinoa. He descended the stairs downward and walked past the security gates. He spotted her staring out at the ocean by the walkway, leaning against the four-foot high concrete wall.  
  
"I'm glad I got to see you again, Rinoa."  
  
She recognized his voice, and turned his way. "Hi, Raiun. Haven't seen you all afternoon."  
  
"Well, I had to talk with Instructor Trepe and Headmaster Cid."  
  
Rinoa smiled. "You didn't get into trouble, did you?"  
  
He shook his head. "No, nothing of the sort. You know I'm trying at becoming an instructor, yes?"  
  
"Is that why you were there? He was discussing some ground rules for you or something?"  
  
"Yes, he wants me to be instructor for an upcoming day, and wants to score me on how well I do."  
  
Rinoa bit her lip and stroked her chin in thought. "There's something I've been wondering for the longest time about you."  
  
"What would that be?"  
  
"You speak.. very well, almost too well, like an older person, or in older English."  
  
"That is the way I was raised, in a rich home, and was taught proper English. Does it bother you?"  
  
She giggled. "Not at all, but if you had an English accent, it would match it so well."  
  
Raiun imitated an English elder. "Would you like to stop in for a cup of tea or a scone?"  
  
Rinoa laughed, and it brought tears to her eyes. Raiun loved how her eyes lit up when she laughed. "That was funny."  
  
"I'm glad I made you laugh."  
  
After Rinoa's laugh had faded, she returned to her frown she wore before. She sighed.  
  
"Something wrong, dear?"  
  
"I still miss Squall."  
  
"Why worry about him? You don't know where he's about, and he could be breaking your heart, you unaware of it this whole time."  
  
"I don't believe he would do that."  
  
"But what if he is?" Rinoa had returned her gaze to the ocean. Raiun put an arm around her neck. "Don't worry about that boy. If you're ever down, you know you can come to me, right?"  
  
Rinoa wasn't even aware that his arm was around her neck. She was listening to the breaking of the waves on the shore, but then she heard a distant voice. "Rinoa!"  
  
She turned her head to the south. She saw two boys running her way, and when they got within view, she recognized them as Zell.. and Squall! She turned immediately from Raiun and ran toward him with open arms. Before reaching him, Squall flew open his arms and embraced her tightly, and kissed her many times on the cheek. "Where have you been? I missed you so much!"  
  
She stayed clung to him, her arms around his waist, her eyes half-filled with tears, staring into his, waiting for an answer. "Well, Rinoa," he started, "I didn't mean to scare you. I went into Deling City to get you--"  
  
"A surprise," Zell finished. "He got you a surprise present, and he wanted to return a day earlier, but he got caught up in traffic, but he's going to give it to you at the SeeD Ball in three days." Zell nudged Squall in the ribs. "Isn't that right, Squall?"  
  
Squall felt a lump in his throat, and swallowed it. "Yeah. I meant to sneak out and go get it and return before you even noticed, but my plan kinda failed." He tried harder to follow up with this story. "So now you know you're going to get a surprise present. Thanks for ruining the surprise."  
  
Rinoa stuck her tongue out. "Well, that's what I do: be mean to you." She turned her face away from him and hugged him tightly. "I just missed you when you were gone."  
  
He returned her embrace. "I missed you, too," and kissed her forehead, then played with her thick, dark hair.  
  
Raiun finally had enough guts to walk over to them. "I'm assuming you're Squall," he said.  
  
Squall nodded, surprised. "Yeah, I am. How do you know me? And who are you?"  
  
"Well, for starters, my name is Raiun Almasy."  
  
Squall blinked. "Almasy?"  
  
"Yes, I'm Seifer's older brother. I'm sure you've heard of him."  
  
"Unfortunately."  
  
"You and him don't get along?"  
  
"Not very well." Then Squall said, "how do you know me?"  
  
"Rinoa has told me a lot about you."  
  
"Has she, now?"  
  
"Yes, and while you were away, deserting her, leaving her in the dark, and being an inconsiderate bastard, I spoke with her a lot and reassured her when she missed YOU. I really don't see why she deserves you."  
  
Zell stepped in. "You better shut the hell up, Raiun. You don't even know what he left for."  
  
Raiun smirked. "Yes, I know exactly what he left for: to hit on the other ladies and have himself a good time. Parties, women, drinking, all that good stuff, while she stayed behind here, sulking over you."  
  
Rinoa had her fists balled up so tightly, that her fingernails were cutting into the skin, and she could feel her palms bleeding when the skin broke. She tore from Squall, stepped right up to Raiun, and bashed him square in the nose. He toppled backwards onto the ground, unaware for a moment as to what had happened. He held his hand up to his nose, and noticed his nose was severely bleeding. He held it with one hand, and stood. "If this is what I get for standing up for you, then to hell with you."  
  
Rinoa turned back around, then swiftly kicked him in his privates. He fell to the ground within a second, holding his crotch. "Mercy.." he whimpered.  
  
"Then keep your mouth shut," Squall said.  
  
"Can't I give him a kick, too?" Zell asked.  
  
"No, I think he's learned his lesson. If not, we'll be back for him." Squall looked to Rinoa. "Or maybe we'll just let Rinoa handle the whole situation."  
  
She giggled, then they all walked inside, ignoring Raiun in his feeble position on the ground. "I'll get you back, Rinoa Heartilly," he whispered to himself. "For all the things I've tried to do for you, you come and stab me in the back? I'll get you back."  
  
(PS, I wasn't making fun of the English peoples. They rule '.'!) 


	9. Welcoming Home

(Predisclaimer: Lord, I've had this chapter forever, but I couldn't put it up because something was wrong with ! Argh, anyways, I'm finally updating it. PS, my birthday was last Saturday, and I got a cell phone '.'!)

(Disclaimer: Still looking for girl names. This is the absolute final chapter before Fujjin has her baby! I need some suggestions!)

Welcoming Home

Irvine remained by the Balamb shops after Squall and Zell departed for Balamb Garden.

He had stuck around for a cute salesclerk that was inside the shop window. She kept glancing back at him, obviously feeling a little bit uncomfortable.

"Sir, you're aware you've been standing there for almost half an hour, right?"

"Well, I'm not sure what I should buy."

"Are you sure you're not confused with the shop nextdoor? Are you looking for items or weapons?"

"Well, who sells the weapons nextdoor?"

The salesclerk smiled nervously. "Some tall blonde in about her early 20s, I think. She's pretty new there, and she's been waiting for customers for some time."

Irvine grinned. "Well, shoot doggie. I think I'm gonna head on over there. Could be I am confused." He tipped his hat. "Thank you, ma'am." The short redheaded salesclerk smiled politely, but as he turned away from the window and toward the Weapon's Shop, she closed the metal shutter doors over the window as fast as she could.

Irvine knocked on the wooden Weapon's Shop door. "Anyone in there?"

The door opened slowly, and he heard someone mumble. Irvine quickly straightened his appearance for the blonde, but when he saw the person behind the door, his jaw dropped; it was the same old man who had been there forever.

"Uh, sir, isn't there a blonde woman who works here?"

"Oh, you mean the new girl? She hasn't worked long here, but yeah, she's here." He yelled to the back of the shop, "Get on out here, hun!"

Irvine was only able to see her head from the back at first: short, blonde, curly locks, but he found her face familiar when she neared the window. "Quistis?"

Quistis noticed him. "Hey, Irvine. What're you doing here?"

"Maybe I should be asking you that."

"Well, I work here part-time. Being an instructor doesn't pay unless it's during a SeeD mission. Besides, I'm not planning on being instructor forever, so I gotta start somewhere." She paused, then said, "Speaking on teaching, I haven't seen you in class in a while. Where have you been? Did you drop out?"

"Afraid so."

"May I ask why?"

"Well, I wasn't doing so well the last few weeks, and I'm eighteen, and can officially leave the Garden when I'm eighteen, right?"

"Well, with Cid's approval, yes, but not exactly drop out. You're planning on coming to the SeeD Ball, aren't you?"

"Wouldn't miss it."

"Well, it's for invited guests, SeeDs, and students only, so you better get your act back together."

Irvine scratched his head. "I guess that's why I didn't notice you at first was because your hair was cut."

"Do you like it?"

"Yeah, it looks great on you."

"Thanks. Lots of my students think so." There was an awkward silence. "So, where have you been staying since you dropped out of Garden?"

"Well, I've been going a lot of places by train. I returned to Galbadia for a while, and they wanted me back, but I didn't want to get enlisted into another school. Besides, I would've missed you guys here."

"So why did you return to Galbadia?"

"Because I had a paycheck that I needed to pick up."

"Paycheck? What for?"

"Just the same as for SeeDs, sharpshooters get paid salary, too."

The conversation was interrupted by a train whistle as the train pulled into the Balamb Station. Moments later, Irvine noticed two familiar faces step off of the train. 

"Haven't seen you two in a while," Laguna said.

"How have you been?" Ellone asked.

"We've been good," Irvine said.

"I was afraid you may not have made it. I hear there were many train delays for some reason," Quistis said. "The Ball is in three days, and I was afraid you'd miss it."

"Not for the world," Laguna said. "My son's proposing, isn't he? No way I would miss that."

"Yeah," Irvine started, "that's gonna be a big day. Full of too many tears. Better bring some tissues."

"Well," Quistis said, "I can wrap up for now, and we can all head on over to the Garden. I'm sure everyone will be wanting to see you both."

"Just make sure Rinoa doesn't find out exactly why we're here," Ellone told her.

Quistis left from her shop, and she, Irvine, Laguna, and Ellone headed for Balamb Garden.

(I figured out from reading earlier that I sometimes said that Raiun's eyes are brown. I know this is random, but I spotted it too many times to forget it. His eyes are GREEN. If I type brown again, someone slap me, kay? Squall's are BROWN, and Raiun's are GREEN. Sorry if I confused a lot of people S) 


	10. Conception

(Disclaimer: Well, you guys didn't send any name suggestions, so I'll have to continue on typing. Sigh Oh well, meanies '.')  
  
Conception  
  
"Alright, guys, let's move it!" The short, young nurse was pushing the stretcher that Fujjin lied in down the long, narrow hallway. Everything seemed to be so bright and spinning. Everything was happening way too fast.  
  
Fujjin was crying. Selphie was right beside her, trying to keep up with the speed of the stretcher flying down the hallway. Doctors were quickly moving to each side when they saw them rushing down the halls.  
  
Selphie couldn't quite figure out if Fujjin was crying because she was in pain, or thinking about something else. Many women get emotional before having a child, and Fujjin was quite young anyways. Only eighteen, and having a child? She figured it was better than having one at sixteen, but even still, the emotional rollercoaster Fujjin was riding couldn't have been a thrilling one.  
  
The nurse at the end of the stretcher had been running so fast that she almost missed the door for the Emergency Delivery room. She pushed Fujjin through, and Seifer and Selphie followed eagerly behind. Other doctors who were in the room didn't expect them so soon, and quickly rushed to their positions. They helped Fujjin move from the scretcher onto the uplifted hospital bed. Once Fujjin became comfortable on the bed, the churning feeling in her stomach had returned, and she could feel the burning once more. She clenched the sheets of the bed to hope release the pain, but it only got worse.  
  
"Alright, you two," the closest doctor addressed Seifer and Selphie," I need you two to leave here and sit in the Waiting Room."  
  
"No," Fujjin told him after having a coughing spasm," let them stay. I want them here with me."  
  
The doctor hesitated at first, but then agreed. "We may have to have surgery. Are either of you squeemish?"  
  
Selphie winced. "A little, but I'll stay here for Fujjin, no matter how squeemish I am."  
  
Seifer shrugged. "I'm not, so don't worry about me."  
  
"Well, some husbands have tended to faint because they aren't used to seeing too much blood," the doctor informed him.  
  
Seifer almost blurted "Well, we're not married yet," but he didn't want anyone to see him as conceeded. "I won't be squeemish."  
  
Fujjin felt the sickening feeling in her stomach again, and yelled out once more in pain. The doctors looked her way. "Let's begin."  
  
Selphie had walked over to Fujjin's side, and held her hand. "If you feel an urge to squeeze my hand, 'cause your stomach hurts or something, don't hold back, kay?" Fujjin looked to her concerned, but Selphie just smiled. "Don't worry about breaking my hand," Selphie told her. "I still have one more left if you break this one."  
  
The surgery began, and Fujjin kept having the strong urge to tighten her hand, but didn't want to harm Selphie. Selphie would wince at times, but never showed that there was any pain. Of course, she figured Fujjin was enduring more pain than she was.  
  
Ironically, Seifer fainted when the surgery began. Some doctors escorted his loathesome body out into the Waiting Room, and lied him down on the couch. The doctors were unsure if he fainted from the blood or the sight of the baby coming into the new world so slowly. Maybe he was so overjoyed at seeing it, that his emotions ran wild, and he fainted. Who knew?  
  
The baby was being pulled forth into the new world too slowly, and the doctors were concerned.  
  
"Miss Tilmitt, we may have to ask you to leave," said the Head Surgeon.  
  
Selphie looked to Fujjin, and she smiled. "Don't worry about me, Selphie. I don't want to cause any trouble. I'll be fine."  
  
Selphie smiled back warmly. "Alright," she told Fujjin, and then looked to the doctors. "But if something happens, something bad, you guys better tell me." She turned, and swept past the swinging doors without listening to their response. A moment later, Fujjin had a mask placed over her face, with a gas going through the tube connected to it.  
  
"Just close your eyes, be calm, and count backwards from one-hundred," the doctor told her, but she needed not to, for she was asleep within seconds.  
  
Within half an hour, the doctors were becoming even more concerned. Only half of the baby had come through, and they were trying desperatly to get it out quickly, yet they wanted to work slowly on this delicate new life. According to Fujjin's ECG, her breathing was becoming abnormal. Doctors were planning on incisions to make, if any were needed, but they needed to find some way to get the baby out. Fujjin was losing blood because the baby was coming out too slowly. They were losing time.  
  
If the baby didn't come out within the next few minutes, both Fujjin and the baby would die. If by some miracle, the baby would live, it would have mental disabilities for the rest of it's life.  
  
With quick thinking, an incision was made down Fujjin's stomach, avoiding cutting the baby as much as possible, and the doctor delicatly forced the baby from Fujjin's pelvic joints. They immediatly started sewing the gap in her stomach, and the baby was rushed into another room.  
  
When Fujjin's stomach was sewn back up and the blood, cleaned, she slept peacefully, as the gas was keeping her in a slumber.  
  
The Head Doctor walked into the Waiting Room, and Selphie stood immediatly. Seifer was mumbling in his sleep, and probably near coming to. The doctor smiled. "It was a tough operation," he told her, "but everything's okay now. Fujjin had the baby. She's an ash-blonde, curly-haired girl."  
  
Selphie jumped up and down excitedly. "Can I see her?"  
  
"Well, we need to run some tests on her to see if she will be okay."  
  
Selphie gasped. "She's not going to die, is she?"  
  
The doctor shook his head. "No, we don't think so, but it was a difficult procedure. We will have to ask you and Mr. Almasy to return another day. We need to keep Fujjin and check her statuses for the next few days, as well."  
  
Seifer had completly awoken now, and he was yawning and stretching. Recognizing where he was, he stood up quickly. "Did everything go okay?"  
  
Selphie dragged Seifer to her side. "I'll tell you on the train ride back to Balamb."  
  
"Why do we have to go back? Where's Fujjin?!"  
  
"Calm down," the doctor told him. "She's in good hands."  
  
Seifer wasn't finished, but Selphie was dragging him as far away from there as possible. He probably had so many questions, and it probably wouldn't have been wise for Selphie to tell him that the baby had a chance of dying just yet.  
  
(That took too long to put up, but I was on a writer's block for 2 weeks x.X sorry guys.) 


	11. The Night the Music Stopped

(Disclaimer: I haven't written in so long! Someone told me Fujjin seemed out of character. Not sure how, but I didn't intend for her to. She's changed, after all, cause she's been around Selphie a lot, so that might explain a few things {or it should} Anyways, hope you like this!)  
  
The Night the Music Stopped  
  
The evening was nearing. Just within the last hour, word has spread around about Fujjin's child. Selphie and Seifer had returned to Balamb, but Seifer hadn't much to say. He hadn't seen it, and remained quiet. Selphie was a blabbermouth, as usual.  
  
"She was soo cute," she would tell them. She bragged about how only she saw it, and Seifer was asleep. She dare didn't say that while he was around, though. She didn't want to hurt his feelings.  
  
Zell had finally met up with her. He hadn't seen her in the last day, and embraced her tightly. She quickly returned the hug.  
  
"Hey, Selphie," he said, then grinned. "Did the baby look anything like Seifer?"  
  
Selphie giggled. "I hope not. It was a girl."  
  
"So, does she look like Fujjin?"  
  
"Well, she has ash-blonde hair and large green eyes, so she has both Fujjin and Seifer's qualities."  
  
"Not Seifer's mischief, I hope," Zell smirked.  
  
"Let's hope not," Selphie reminded him, "because Fujjin was in the Disipline Committee for some time, too."  
  
Within moments, Zell's smile had faded. "I'm glad you came back."  
  
Selphie smiled sweetly. "Aww, you were worried about me."  
  
"Well, I was worried about you," he told her, "but I'm also worried about Rinoa."  
  
Selphie's eyes widened. "Did something happen to her?"  
  
"More like I'm afraid something will happen. Since you've been gone, Raiun's been following her around."  
  
"But I thought she told him off."  
  
"She did, and so did Squall. He's just hiding from Squall, but he's watching Rinoa from a distance."  
  
Selphie crossed her arms, and shifted her weight to one side. She gave a cocky grin. "Come on, do you really think that Squall will let that creep do anything to her?"  
  
"A creep he is, which means he can creep around right under our noses."  
  
"Well," Selphie informed, "Squall's been going to the Training Room in the evenings to get stronger to protect Rinoa, and he'd kill anyone if he had to save her."  
  
Zell sighed, becoming a bit discouraged. Why didn't anyone but him find Raiun a threat?  
  
Selphie left him to hang around in the Quad, telling stories about Fujjin's girl. Zell went immediatly to Quistis, who was in the Teacher's Lounge down the hall from her Homeroom. The door was shut, so he lightly knocked. He looked around warily to see if anyone had followed him. Quistis opened the door to him.  
  
"Zell? It's a little late, don't you think?" She had only opened the door half way, peeking her head out.  
  
"May I come in, Instructor? It's a little urgent."  
  
She opened the door all the way, standing in her pajama tank, shorts, and a loose-fitted robe. "Well, I'm not exactly dressed for the occasion," she told him, "but come on in."  
  
He stepped through, and she closed the door after him. He sat down on one of the sofas lined against the wall. Quistis tightened her robe, then sat across from him. She looked over to the kettle. "Coffee?"  
  
He shook his head. "No, thanks. I've already had a difficult enough time sleeping, and coffee wouldn't help."  
  
Quistis sipped coffee from her mug, then put it down on the small table near her. "So, what did you want to talk about?"  
  
"Well, I know you won't believe me," he started slowly, "but I believe Raiun is a bad kid."  
  
Quistis's eyes widened. "I don't see where you get that from, because I have yet to see him do anything wrong--"  
  
"I knew it," Zell muttered.  
  
"--he's well-mannered," Quistis continued, "nice, sweet, and shy, so I don't see how he can cause any trouble. Cid's ready to appoint him as a new instructor, seeing he did so well when I scored him."  
  
Zell gasped. "You're not serious!"  
  
Quistis nodded. "Why, I believe he has every qualification to be an instructor. I mean, come on, Zell. He was able to calm Seifer down and keep him quiet. I've been teaching for almost three years, and I even baby-sat him in the orphange when Matron was busy, and I still couldn't get him to stay quiet. He taught one time, and Seifer didn't speak out but once, and that was quickly settled."  
  
Zell rolled his eyes, getting frustrated. "Didn't Squall or Rinoa tell you about what happened outside of school yesterday?"  
  
Quistis blinked. "Something concerning Raiun?"  
  
"Yeah. Rinoa was standing out on the platform, and Raiun tried to get all close to her and convince her to break from Squall. He's done that ever since he saw her, because Squall was in Deling City, and Raiun tried to make it sound like Squall was deserting her for someone else," Zell finished. His voice had cracked a bit because his pitch in voice had gotten higher when his tone got louder.  
  
"Well," Quistis replied, "Raiun didn't try to start any violence or argument--"  
  
"Inconsiderate bastard," Zell interruped.  
  
"Zell Dincht!"  
  
"That's what Raiun called Squall. Squall came back to Balamb and met up with Rinoa moments later, and Raiun was still at her side. Raiun was saying what an inconsiderate bastard Squall was for leaving Rinoa like that."  
  
"And Squall hit him?"  
  
Zell smirked. "No, Rinoa did. Squall didn't even have to touch him, because Rinoa was able to take up for herself."  
  
"So, even if he was doing something bad, you don't think that could've been a warning for him to leave her alone? You said it yourself; she can take up for herself."  
  
"But he's been stalking her!"  
  
"Or have you just been assuming that?"  
  
"Dammit Quistis!"  
  
Quistis stood, infuriated. "Zell!"  
  
"I'm so fricking tired of people telling me I'm wrong!" He stood up, inches from her face. "I know that something's wrong with the guy! No one ever listens to poor little chicken-wuss! Well, you can all go to hell!"  
  
Quistis's face was a deep scarlet. She opened her mouth to say something, but then listened. The radio that was softly humming on her desk had picked up loud static, and then suddenly died. The lights flickered, and both of them were quiet. They watched and listened. The lights shut off completely. For a few seconds, there was darkness, and then the auxillary lights kicked in. The dim red lights hardly lighted the halls and rooms.  
  
"Odd," Quistis said in a loud whisper. She looked to Zell. "Just a power failure."  
  
"How often does that happen?" Zell questioned her.  
  
Quistis groaned. "Are you blaming this on Raiun, too?"  
  
Zell turned from her, and left the room. "Only one way to find out," and he slammed the door shut as he left.  
  
(Dum dee dum dum!) 


	12. Investigation

(Disclaimer: Yes, I finally am getting back into writing, but also because one of my reviewers took my cookies, and I demand them back ( The cookies shall be mine!)

I. Investigation

Lights flickered off, then red lights dimly illuminated the halls. Some students gaped and whispered curiously. Many students hadn't even taken warning from it because they lay unaware of the phenomenon as they lay asleep in their dorm rooms.

Quistis followed Zell from the Teacher's Lounge, a flashlight in her hand as a source of secondary lighting.

"This is so odd. Do you think that maybe Cid knows about this?"

"Unlikely," Zell murmured.

"You do need to stop blaming everything on Raiun. Why would he go as to such an extent to get you all back?"

"He's knocking us off guard," Zell told her. "He's doing this to confuse us, and also because we won't be able to see very well. He's scheming something whilst we wander in the darkness, unaware of his presence because we can't see him."

"Well, how could he have shut off the lights any ways?" Quistis asked smartly. "The power source is beyond my Homeroom, and you need a secret password to open the door."

They arrived at that door, and, with no surprise to Zell, it was open. Zell grinned. "Now you believe me?"

She glared at him. "No, I do not. Only Cid knows the password to this lock, and I'm sure he's down there working on something."

"But you said he was such a nice kid."

"You suddenly agree?"

"No, but since you and Cid found him so nice, couldn't he have been talking with Cid and obtained the password from him?"

Quistis remained silent for a moment. "I doubt Cid would just hand it over to him, Zell."

"Exactly," Zell paced, "and since Cid wouldn't tell him, he'd do something drastic." He looked back to Quistis. "I want you to go check on him."

Quistis scoffed. "Puh-lease, Zell. He'll be in his office looking into this matter. He'll have the other instructors gathered and explaining why the situation would have happened."

Zell frowned. "Will you just go?"

Quistis rolled her eyes, and turned about. She began walking away and toward the elevator. "Okay, but everything is going to be in order."

Zell took the handle of the 6-inch thick steel door and forcibly pulled it back further. He stepped through, peering into the darkness. Blue lights lit these halls instead. "We'll see about that," and he descended the rusted stairs toward the basement of the Garden.

II. Quistis's Meeting

Quistis continued down the hall toward the elevator. Her steps gradually became slower.

"This is so stupid," she said to herself in a loud whisper. "Zell has to assume everything for the worst. Cid's probably napping upstairs, and not aware of this whole mess. Surely, he could get away and inform someone if something was wrong."

She stepped into the dark elevator. The doors slid shut, and she listened intently to the silence. It sounded like she kept hearing something, but it was probably just the students in an unnecessary panic.

She pushed the button for the third floor. She waited. Nothing. She pressed it again, and still, nothing. On the third try, the elevator shifted, hesitated, and then dropped to the basement. She stood from the floor, shaken from the impact as it hit the bottom. She left the elevator, and the doors shut after her. As if it were possessed, it traveled back up to the second floor.

"Quistis?"

The voice was familiar. In the dim, red lighting, she could see Xu, Matron, Rylida, and a few others. Xu and Matron were instructors, and Rylida was an emotional librarian. The others were confused former SeeDs. They bothered not to speak.

"Xu," Quistis said, "What's happening?"

"I'm not sure myself," Xu informed her, "but I believe someone has messed around with the elevator and that's why we're here."

"Have you heard from Cid?" Asked Matron concerned.

"Can't say I have," Quistis told her. "I was actually going to see him in his office, and that's when the elevator dropped."

"Same here," replied Xu, "because I thought maybe he would know something about the power being out."

"I hope he's alright," Matron whispered.

III. Shut In

Zell continued down the rusted stairs, cursing each one when he felt as though he would trip because of the lack of light. He also cursed each step as it squeaked from rust. Each step was not connected to a wall. Instead, all the steps were connected in a spiraling set. He felt as though if he forced too much weight upon them that they would all fall hundreds of feet to his death.

His hand clung to the railing, and he let out a sigh of relief when he reached the bottom. Then came the ladder. He groaned, feeling more uneasy than before. He descended the ladder downward, then hugged the wall and climbed into a cubbyhole. 

He came once again to the room of the wheel. He clasped his hands onto it, and turned with all his might, but it wouldn't budge. Now he wished he had brought Squall with him. 

He looked downward from the wheel, and noticed a ventilation shaft. It seemed risky, but he was willing to take that chance. He popped open the lid, and climbed through, but he didn't see the drop off, and fell downward almost immediately after entering the shaft. He fell a ways, the only thought in his head being how many bones he would break when he hit the ground.

He landed on some musty, damp cloth at the bottom of the shaft. The lighting was even worse here, and he constantly tripped over the cloth when he tried untangling his feet from it. He stood, and found an old machine, covered with another cloth. He pulled off the cloth, revealing the machine with many knobs and switches.

He pushed and pulled knobs and switches, but it was probably so old, that no power ran through it anymore. 

He moved away from the machine, and heard the "fwoosh" of a weapon. He followed the sound, and came to another shaft that led to the Training Room. He figured that Squall was probably in there, still training. The Training Room was lit all the time by a backup generator, so he probably hadn't even noticed the lights going out.

Then it hit him: If Squall doesn't know about the lights going out, then he won't know about Raiun moving about! I rhymed

Zell pulled at the lid of the shaft, but it was clamped down tightly with screws. He had to get through it and warn Squall that Rinoa or himself could be in grave danger.

(I feel special that I rhymed. I want all my cookies back '.'!) 


	13. Falling Into Action

(Disclaimer: And thus, it continues.)

Falling Into Action

Squall stood in the Training Room, forcing to keep his eyes open. It was so quiet. It was odd. Not many fiends had stumbled upon him, and he wondered if there may have been a specific reason. He wanted to turn back and get some sleep. He wasn't even aware that it was nearing Midnight.

He sat for a moment to rest, and yawned. He closed his eyes, and almost stumbled backwards from being so fatigued. He listened for fiends, but also listened to the roof above him. Something was making a metalic noise.

He heard a voice, and held out his gunblade. He looked up into the ventilation, and wondered if someone was up there.

"Squall," shouted a hollow voice. "Squall!" It repeated. Who was up there?

"What do you want?" Squall asked, feeling as though he was talking to the wind. No answer. "Who's there?!" He called loudly.

"Squall, it's me!" He began to recognize the voice. Zell?

"Zell?" He asked confused. "Zell, is that you?"

"Squall, listen to me! I know you can't hear so well--"

There was a loud "thump!" and it sounded as though Zell has fallen further down into the ventilation. Squall listened. "Zell?"

"Ow, son of a bitch!"

"Zell, what's going on?"

There was shuffling and moaning, and then Zell said, "Rinoa's in trouble!"

Squall blinked. "What do you mean?"

"The power's out! Something bad's going to happen"

Rinoa laid in her bed, staring out at the beams of moonlight that entered through her window. The clouds had began to shade the bright glowing. It seemed so peaceful. She couldn't quite sleep. Outside her window, she heard the movement of the waves in the ocean, and a warm, peaceful breeze blew on the summer shore. The moon provided a warm, assuring nightlight.

Yet, she couldn't sleep. She kept thinking about Squall. She giggled to herself. She layed only in panties and a black tanktop. She somewhat wished for Squall to enter through her dorm room, and lie at her side. He would slide his soft hands to her sides, and she would be swept away--

She shook her head. Not for a while, she thought to herself, even though it would be nice.

She listened, and watched as the dim hall-light poured into her room. She held her breath. Her heart thumped painfully against her chest. Was Squall coming to see her, this late at night?

The door swung open. She couldn't see who is was, but who else would it be? Now, she didn't know if her heart was beating so quickly because she was frightened or excited.

"Squall?" She whispered.

He did not answer. He only moved closer. The clouds in the sky had moved over the radiance of the moon, so she could not see his face. Perhaps.. he was just romancing the moment much more with silence.

She felt his skin, his fingertips, against her bare legs. She held her breath again, and her heart pounded faster and faster. He moved his fingers up her legs, and across her hips, then up to her sides. He held her tightly. She pulled him down on top of her, unaware of what she was doing.

He grinned, and pinned her arms under her, pinning her legs down with his own weight. She gasped. "Squall, you're hurting me."

He leaned forward, and softly breathed into her ear: "I'm not Squall"

Squall sheathed his gunblade, and sprinted from the Training Room. His eyes were unfocused from the darkness as he left. He wasn't aware that the power had been knocked out. He cursed under his breath "Why didn't I know? What did Zell mean?"

So many thoughts ran through his mind, but he wasn't sure what of. Rinoa was in trouble? By whom--?

Raiun! What if that little bastard had gotten a hold of her? He had to get there! Raiun had been looking at Rinoa oddly, seducingly. He wasn't going to let that little worm live if he ever touched Rinoa.

He ran for the dorm rooms, and tried desperatly to keep his balance. His eyes still hadn't fully adjusted, and it was pitch black enough as it was. What if he got there too late?

Rinoa's arms had been pinned under her, as well as her whole body. What was going on? Who was this on her?

Everything was happening so fast. Her head spun, and she felt dizzy. She could smell his sour breath, but she couldn't recognize his voice. Even in the dim lighting, it looked like Squall. What was happening?

She flailed and kicked when she realized what was happening, and tried whining, but he had his hand over her mouth. He hadn't clamped his hand down far enough so she could bite him. It was difficult for her to breathe.

She felt his hands moving up her sides further, and sliding the straps of her shirt off of her shoulders. She felt his waist being pressed into her harder, and his weight was crushing her.

Everything was beginning to turn darker, and then, strangely glowing. 

Then she heard the door being kicked in.

He moved off of her quickly, but she still couldn't see. She kept coughing because she was finally able to breathe. All she could hear was him being shoved against the wall. She heard glass break, and covered her face from any shards that may have come her way. She heard something tumble outside her window, and down the Garden walls. Then there was silence.

She shuddered, trying to regain her normal breathing. She listened.

"Rinoa?"

It was Squall's voice this time. Tears welded in her eyes. "Squall?"

He could tell her voice was cracking. She must have been so scared. He held her, running his fingers along her arms to soothe her. She wasn't even sure what had happened, it all happened so quickly. She continued to cry, even though she tried to force herself to stop. Eventually, the clouds scattered away from the moon, and she could see Squall's face. He had fallen asleep before her, and she stroked his soft face, and smiled. She wiped away her drying tears, and fell asleep in his arms.

(Whew, well, there you have it. The climax of the story '.'!) 


	14. The Next Morning

(Disclaimer: Not much will happen from here on. SeeD Ball's coming up!)  
  
The Next Morning  
  
Rinoa opened her eyes in the early morning. It was still dim outside, and all too quiet. She rubbed her eyes lightly, and looked to her hero beside her. She blinked a little to gain some focus. He was lying on his back, his eyes half way open. Was he awake?  
  
"Squall," she whispered.  
  
He slowly turned his head toward her, and smiled. "Good morning, Rin."  
  
Rinoa yawned, and moved her gaze away from him, and looked briefly around the room. She felt a bit embarrassed that he slept with her, though she wasn't sure why. "What happened last night?"  
  
Squall's smile faded. "Best not to talk about it. I'll have Quistis, Cid, and a few others investigate what happened."  
  
Rinoa shuddered, and placed a hand over her chest to maintain normal breathing. Her heart had begun to beat quickly again. From last night's incident or Squall being at her side, she wasn't sure. "It looked like you.. how could I have been so easily fooled?"  
  
Squall cleared his throat. "Looked like me?"  
  
Rinoa nodded, then gasped. "Oh Gawd, how did I not know?!" She remembered how Selphie said Raiun looked so much like Squall. Tears began to run down her cheeks, and she buried her face into her pillows. "How did I not know..?"  
  
Squall took tendrils of her raven hair into his fingers and played with them to comfort her. "You didn't know. At that time, you weren't even thinking, half asleep, couldn't see well because of the dark--you had plenty of excuses."  
  
Rinoa pulled her face out of the pillows, but turned away from his gaze. "He's gone, isn't he?"  
  
"He had better be, for all the mischief he caused to try and harm you."  
  
Rinoa turned to him. "What all did he do?"  
  
Squall looked shocked. "You didn't know? He had knocked out the power so everyone would be in a state of confusion and couldn't see what he was doing. He hijacked the elevators, so all the instructors who went to check on Cid were locked in the basement; Zell went to investigate on what was happening and became trapped in the ventilation system--"  
  
Rinoa blinked. "How did I not know about that?"  
  
"It was fairly late," he assured her," and you had probably fallen asleep or was about to. Since you were in the dark anyways, you probably didn't know about the power being knocked out."  
  
"Is everyone alright?" Rinoa asked concerned.  
  
"Don't know, haven't seen them this morning."  
  
Rinoa rolled off the bed, and pulled a dark blue robe around her. "I need to go see Cid. This is my fault that this all happened."  
  
Before Squall could say else wise, she had fled from the room and for the flight of stairs that led to the elevator. It was quiet everywhere, and the sounds of her bare feet padding down the tiled floors echoed down the halls. She stopped when she heard moaning coming from the Training Room, and turned to go investigate.  
  
Zell laid on the floor, holding his right arm and wincing in pain. "Rinoa!" He shouted out when he saw her. He tried to wear an upbeat look, but his arm was hurting too badly.  
  
She knelled to his side. "Are you okay?" She moved his left hand from his arm, and saw that there was a gash in his elbow. Nothing too severe, but he may have broken or seriously fractured his elbow.  
  
"Just a scratch," he said all tough-like.  
  
Rinoa helped him stand, and he walked with a light limp. "Come on, let's get over to the Infirmary." She led him down the halls, and into the Infirmary. The nurse had fallen asleep at her desk. She heard their footsteps, and awoke with a start.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry. I would've slept elsewhere, but since the power outage left everyone in such a haze, everyone was afraid to move anywhere," she explained, "so you might find people asleep in the Cafeteria, Library, and other places."  
  
Zell groaned a little. "I think I may have hurt my arm. Can you take a look?" He showed her his injured elbow.  
  
She led him into the back room, and onto one of the cots. "I'll take a look at it later. I'll give you some pain killers and medicine to prevent infection, but until it heals a little, I'm not sure what may be wrong."  
  
Zell laid down on the cot, and remained quiet. The nurse led Rinoa away from him. "This is all craziness," Rinoa said.  
  
"Indeed. I hope a lot of people aren't hurt because of what happened."  
  
"Or I hope there's no hysteria. Everything's going crazy because of me."  
  
"Child, surely you didn't do all this?"  
  
"No, but she thinks she is," said Squall, who had just stepped in. "Someone did all this just so they can throw everyone off-guard and rape her."  
  
"But it's me he's coming after!" Rinoa insisted.  
  
"The person who is the victim of rape is never at fault, Miss Heartilly," the nurse told her.  
  
"Urg!" Rinoa said, throwing up her arms as she left the room.  
  
"Don't mind her," Squall said, "she's always like that."  
  
"Do you know who did this to her?" Asked the nurse, concerned for Rinoa.  
  
"I have a pretty good idea of who it is," Squall said, anger in his eyes, "and I can assure you that he won't come after her again."  
  
(Biltmore Village is underwater oo Everyone write a letter to God and tell him to STOP ALL THE FREAKING RAIN ON THE EAST COAST, POR FAVOR! I would appreciate it '.'!) 


	15. Returning to Normal

(Disclaimer: Whew, I got the new game, Silent Hill 4-The Room, and it's fun '.'! Yeehaw. Anyways, I may not be typing as much as I need to cause I'm pretty occupied with it, so if I don't type as much as I usually do, don't keel me)  
  
Returning To Normal  
  
Quistis awoke around midmorning when she heard the humming of the elevator as it made it's way to the basement. The doors opened, and she noticed Irvine. He grinned.  
  
"Good morning, Instructor."  
  
Quistis stood, and bothered not to wake up the other instructors. "Irvine, how did you get down here? You're not trapped, too, are you?"  
  
"No, but I just ran into Squall a moment ago, and he told me that you guys were trapped down here. He ran off to go find Rinoa, so he asked me to come help you guys."  
  
Quistis frowned. "Haven't seen you around in a while."  
  
Irvine coughed. "Cause I dropped out, remember?"  
  
Quistis crossed her arms. "Ah, I remem--"  
  
"--but I want to come back," Irvine interrupted.  
  
Quistis raised an eyebrow. "So you can attend the SeeD Ball?"  
  
Irvine smirked. "Well, of course, but also because I hardly see anyone around anymore."  
  
"Say Irvine," Quistis started, "why did you drop out in the first place?"  
  
"Well, I was considering going back to Galbadia, but I wanted to stay here with everyone else, too. Guess you can say I just left for a while so I could decide what to do."  
  
"Is that all?"  
  
"Well, I have someone back at Galbadia--" He stopped short.  
  
Quistis crossed her arms. "A girlfriend?"  
  
Silence fell over them. He opened his mouth to speak, then turned to the elevator when he heard it descend. He didn't recall it ascending. He recognized Cid when the elevator halted to the floor.  
  
"Damn craziness," Cid grumbled.  
  
"What happened, sir?" Irvine said. Irvine hadn't been around when all the chaos happened.  
  
"You weren't here? Well, the lights were turned off, and everyone was in a state of panic."  
  
"What had happened to you?" Quistis asked. "Did you get hurt?"  
  
"No, but the last thing I remember, I reached over to my glass of water, drank some, and then there was darkness. I guess someone had put something in it."  
  
Quistis looked behind her when she heard the others waking up. "Let's go elsewhere and talk about this."

* * *

"No body?" Seifer questioned. "There's gotta be some mistake."  
  
"I thought it weird, too," Selphie said, "but that's what Rajjin said. He said he slept outside last night, right where the body should've hit, but he didn't hear a thing."  
  
Seifer blinked. "Why did he sleep out here?"  
  
"Probably because he worked so hard yesterday," Zell reminded him. "He brought in a lot of fish yesterday, and did lots of chores, too. He got back in the late evening, and he still doesn't have a dorm room, so instead of walking back to Balamb Town, he just slept here." He adjusted the sling that his arm was being held in.  
  
"Maybe we need to get on some type of flying machine and see if he landed on the side of the school," Selphie suggested.  
  
"Well, it seems like since the Garden has rounded edges, that his body would've just fallen off," Zell added.  
  
"If he touched Rin, even though I don't have feelings for her anymore," Seifer told them, "if I find him alive, he'll be wishing he was dead."

* * *

Rinoa rung out her dripping, heavy locks of hair, and stepped out of the shower. She reached for the robe that draped over the bathroom door, and wrapped it around her tightly. She had wrapped her damp hair in the towel, and walked to the window, staring down the side of the Garden, wondering what the chatter was all about.  
  
She noticed Zell. His arm was in a sling, and she, off course, blamed herself. It had been the first time she had seen Seifer since he and Fujjin had left for the hospital, and Selphie had gone with him. She wondered if Fujjin's baby was okay.  
  
Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard Seifer say "Well, if we have to pay for a flight machine so we can find the body, then we will."  
  
Her heart stopped, so it seemed. Raiun didn't hit the ground below? How can anyone survive that fall?  
  
(I know, so short) 


	16. Clean Up

(Disclaimer: That was nice, a power outage. My sister went without her playstation, and I went without my computer ( but now I have it back. Onward!)  
  
Clean up  
  
"So who was the suspected culprit?" Irvine asked.  
  
Quistis remained quiet for a moment, then finally answered, "Zell told me it was Raiun."  
  
Irvine blinked. "He must've moved here when I was away."  
  
"A Squall look-alike," Xu explained. "That's probably how Rinoa wasn't sure how to react when she saw him."  
  
"Not to mention it was dark. She was sleeping, and there was already a power outage," Edea explained.  
  
"But why would Raiun do this?" Cid questioned. "He seemed like such a good kid. He was always quiet, and never caused any trouble. He was polite, and able to deal with the kids--"  
  
"Well, maybe that's the ones we need to be careful about," Quistis said, unaware for a moment that she had said so.  
  
"You had your doubts about him?" Cid asked.  
  
"Well, you know Squall's power. You know that he could easily turn on anyone, as he turned on Seifer when he received that scar between his eyes, but you all know that deep down, even though Squall looks menacing sometimes, he wouldn't hurt anyone unless he absolutely had to."  
  
There was silence, and then Irvine asked, "Why would he want to go after Rinoa anyway? I haven't been here, so--"  
  
"Well, I think he definitely liked Rinoa," Quistis told him. "Squall and Raiun had a conflict. Raiun was trying to pull Rinoa in, but he didn't know that Squall was with her, so they fought, and Raiun was humiliated."  
  
"Do you think Raiun would have killed her, had Squall not gotten there?" Xu asked worried.  
  
"Can't really say," Cid said, "but all I know is that all this havoc is in the past. We need to look ahead."  
  
"For tomorrow, for instance," Edea told him.  
  
Cid gasped. "The ball! I forgot it was tomorrow!"  
  
"Well, there may have been some confusion," Irvine said, "but I don't think everyone else forgot. They may be setting things up as we speak."

* * *

Selphie had put the troubles behind her, and headed for the Quad. The SeeD ball was tomorrow evening, and everyone was in such a haze. She wanted to be the one to reunite everyone and their spirits.  
  
Though she seemed untroubled, she still thought about Raiun..and how his body had gone missing. How could he fall from that distance and be missing? She bothered not to question it. Fate surely wouldn't have turned the tables. It should have been fate that he be killed for what he did to Rinoa. She worried about Zell, too.  
  
She remembered when Zell told her about the fight that Raiun and Squall had. Squall didn't even have to do anything. Rinoa handled it all on her own. Zell was saying how he wished he had taken a good swing at him. Now, she wished she had been there and done the same.  
  
Seifer didn't need to have this nonsense on his mind. He worried about Rinoa because she and he were good friends, but Selphie knew that he also worried for Fujjin. He didn't need to have such a load on his mind.  
  
Speaking of Rinoa, Selphie hadn't seen her at all. She didn't see her the following morning, and figured she had been up and around early, then concealed elsewhere. She knew Rinoa probably suffered the worst emotionally. Poor Rinny always blamed herself for such things. She would never resolve to suicide just because she got so depressed, but Selphie still worried.  
  
And what of Squall? He seemed like the hero, but yet, after a while, he seemed as though he was hiding something. His face appeared more pale for some reason, and he looked as though he had literally physically changed. Maybe it was just all in her mind. Squall probably had a lot of things to think about.  
  
She shook her head and smiled, forcing herself to push all the negative things away. There were others to think about, but she didn't concern herself with them.  
  
She cleared the pile of masquerade costumes that lied on the floor at the stage of the Quad. She picked up a large crate, filled with streamers and other things, and headed for the lobby.

* * *

"Is that such a wise decision?" Zell asked.  
  
"Yes, I'm going back to Deling City. It's been a day since Fujjin had the kid, and I still haven't seen it," Seifer said. "I have to go see her."  
  
"But the SeeD Ball is tomorrow," Zell explained, "Are you going to miss it?"  
  
Seifer frowned. "Chicken-wuss, do you think that the SeeD Ball is more important than my kid?"  
  
"Well, it may be the last one," Zell said as he lowered his head. "Hate to leave Balamb, but we won't have any choice."  
  
"Let me tell you something, Zell," Seifer started, "I should have already been gone. I was old enough. I've seen the parties before. I think my kid is still more important. Who knows? Maybe I'll be able to catch up at the end of it."  
  
Zell smiled. "Well, if you can, let me know. I wanna see it."  
  
Seifer grinned. "Sure thing. I'll see if Fujjin can get back on her feet, too." He opened the door to the car at his side, and climbed it. He turned the key in the ignition, and it rumbled to a start. He rolled down the window, and looked at Zell. "Tell Selphie that she couldn't come along this time. Sorry."  
  
Before Zell could respond, he floored the gas, and spun out of the parking lot and into Balamb Town. Zell turned from the lot, and walked back in the Garden.  
  
(Surprises to come!) 


	17. Preparations

Preparations

The following day, at evening time, people were hesitant to show up. Quistis believed it was because someone would try and hijack the power again. This would cause much more confusion than the previous incident had because more people would attend here than the people who were up and about when the power had been shut off.

Quistis tried not to worry. She didn't think he was stupid enough to pull that again. Everyone else had been thinking the same thing, so everyone was on high alert. Cid had assured her that it wouldn't happen again.

But Quistis still worried. Raiun was supposedly the culprit for what happened. How had someone who seemed so nice.. be to inhumane? And where had his body gone? None of it made sense.

And one other thought lingered in her mind: Squall had seemed to change somehow. He looked so much paler than before, but he must've had a lot on his mind. Even still, something seemed dark about him. Sure, he always used to seem quiet and maybe almost menacing, but only hardly. Something about him now just seemed.. odd.

She tried not to question so many things. This evening was going to be full of dancing and good times, and she couldn't ruin it by being such a worrywart. But of course, she was also quite saddened because everyone would be leaving after this, and out on their own. What would become of her..?

Her thoughts were interrupted by Cid, and she blinked a few times to regain focus. She hadn't even seen him standing there for the past few moments.

"Quistis, you look worried. Something bothering you?"

"Well," she confessed, "I'm still concerned about the incident a few nights ago. You don't think it could happen again?"

"Perhaps a possibility if someone were to copycat Raiun's actions, but I don't think that will happen."

"Sir, we still haven't found his body. How can we say that we're safe?"

"Quistis, there will be guards everywhere," he assured her. "We've always had high security at these SeeD Balls, and now, we're just bumping it up a few notches. If anything were to happen to the guards, this ball is going to be full of topnotch SeeDs who have attended here, and they'll clear it up quickly. You must also remember that Squall is one of our best SeeDs, and he's willing to stop any threat to Rinoa--"

"Are you done?"

Cid blinked. "I beg your pardon?"

Quistis giggled. "I'm sorry, I just hate for people to say that I'm wrong."

Cid grinned. "Well, you better get used to it because I'm a strict optimist, and I won't settle for any negativity."

Quistis sighed. "I don't mean to be negative, but--"

"No buts. This Ball is going to be completely safe. I will take full responsibility of it so you don't have to worry about anything."

Quistis smiled, and bowed. "Thank you, sir. I shouldn't worry so much."

She turned, and left him. No one had shown up yet, but she didn't expect anyone to for a few minutes. She only hoped for the best.

Rinoa was in her dorm room, staring at the full-size mirror in front of her, trying on her dress for the Ball. It had a kimono-style button-up collar, and it fitted her snugly down to her knees, where there were two slits on each side. The dress was a cranberry color with black trimming. She wore tall, black dress boots that came just below her knees.

She wore her hair in two pigtail buns, with hair sticking out only a little bit in each. She looked in the mirror, and smiled, satisfied that she looked like a little Chinese doll. 

Her smiled faded. She thought of Squall. Why had he seemed so different? He changed somehow. She didn't want to think of it. Everyone was trying to convince her to get in therapy because her self esteem was too low, and she didn't want to start blaming herself because of Squall's behavior. She didn't want to go to the nut house.

Still, she was concerned, but forced herself not to express it. She put a smile back on her face, and walked out toward the lobby.

"Hold still, Irvy! Quit squirming!" Selphie demanded.

"Well, you're pulling my hair, and it hurts! I know it's long, but I'm not a girl!" Irvine shouted.

"Hey, quit shouting, both of you!" Zell told them.

Irvine wiped a tear away from his eye. "Well, she's pulling really hard."

"I could put some bows in your hair, you know," Selphie giggled.

"Give him some big, bright pink ones," Zell laughed.

Selphie was sitting at the edge of her bed, Zell beside her, and Irvine was sitting on his knees in the floor, facing away from them. Selphie was tugging at his hair and trying to put it into a braid, but his hair was really tangled. After much screaming and groaning, she finally got all the tangles out, and she was slowly braiding his hair, making sure it looked nice.

"How much longer?" Irvine complained.

"Almost done. Quit whining," Selphie muttered.

"Yes, ma'am," Irvine said.

Selphie tied the end of his hair, and looked at her work. "There we go. Much better than your hair being all mangled and loose."

Irvine looked back to her and grinned. "Can I put a cowboy hat over it?"

"No, sir, you can't. It'll get all messed up if you do."

Irvine stood. "Well, thanks, guys. I'll be off in my room, now. See you in the lobby."

Irvine left, and closed the door after him. Zell looked to Selphie, grinned, and pounced on her, pinning her down. "Muwaha," he laughed evilly.

Selphie giggled, acting like she was struggling to get up. "Get off, I gotta get dress."

Zell gave a pouty look. "I can't watch?"

Selphie stuck her tongue out. "Nope, cause I'm so mean."

Zell smiled, and kneeled, kissing her. "Yes, you are." He climbed off of her, and stood. "I guess I had better get dressed. I'll be in my room if you need me."

"Okay. Meet'cha in the lobby."

Zell left Selphie's room, and suddenly had a gut-aching feeling that something bad was going to happen. He turned, and went for Selphie's door, but she had already locked it. He turned back down the hall, and walked into his room, having an premonition that something bad was going to happen. He wasn't sure if needed to worry about Selphie.. or Rinoa.

(Aren't I just evil, leaving it at a cliffhanger?) 


	18. The Night of the Ball

Night of the Ball 

People had began to gather in the lobby, and drinks had been set out prior. Some students had been asked to watch the drinks to reduce the risk of them getting spiked. Reduce the risk? Well, of course they would be in on it, too.

Selphie was standing in the lobby, waiting for Zell, and Irvine had quickly followed behind. He had to keep wiping tears away because the braids Selphie gave him were rather tight. He was dressed in Squall's SeeD uniform. Selphie questioned him.

"Why you wearing Squall's uniform?"

"Well, I was cussing because I couldn't find the tuxedo I wore to the last ball, and he had walked by the door and asked if I wanted it. I was a little hesitant at first because I didn't know what he would wear, but he said he had something to wear."

"Not that I know of," Zell said when he joined them. "Something fishy is going on, if you ask me."

Selphie giggled. "You still think Squally is demented?"

"You still don't believe me?"

"Not exactly demented," Irvine said, "but something is weird."

Selphie frowned. "Irvy, you too? Why do you think something is wrong?"

"He's acting weird, and some things just seem.. different about him."

Selphie was ignoring Irvine, and was looking at Zell's arm. Zell was finally able to use it without the sling, but the vent had sliced his shoulder. Selphie was pulling down the collar of his shirt and observing it. "Whew, that vent really left a scar, didn't it?"

"Selphie, why aren't you paying attention--" Irvine started.

Then it hit Zell. "The scar!"

Selphie blinked. "Huh?"

"The scar between Squall's eyes! It wasn't there! That's why he looked so peculiar!"

Selphie gasped. "Yeah! Come to think of it, that is why he looked different."

"And his eyes looked green," Irvine added.

There was silence among all of them. They only listened to the chatter of the crowd behind them.

"We've got to find Rinoa! She might not be aware of it!" Zell said.

Zell had broke through the crowd, and Selphie followed eagerly behind. Irvine desperately tried to keep up. They raced for Rinoa's room and prayed that she would be there.

* * *

Rinoa stood at the top of the Garden out on the balcony. She looked out at the ocean and the scarlet moon that was slowly leaving the form of a lunar eclipse.

She observed the moon and looked behind her when she heard footsteps. She turned and saw Squall. "We need to talk."

"I'm sure we do," he said, and stepped closer to her. He softly laid his hand on her arm and wrapped his fingers around it, pulling her closer. The darkness of the red moon made his eyes look so dark, his face so shadowed.

Rinoa stayed firm, her arm slightly shaking. She felt the urge to pull away. "I'm serious. We really do need to talk.. Squall."

Squall pulled her ever closer, and moved his lips to hers, inches from kissing her. "I'm not Squall, you know."

The voice echoed in her mind. She almost felt sickened. She pulled away quickly, and backed up inches from him. "I know you're not."

He frowned. "How long have you known?"

"The way you looked at me in the infirmary.. I knew you weren't Squall. Your eyes seemed so mischievous and menacing. You don't have a scar like he does, either. Until then, I didn't even notice that, though."

The lunar eclipse had passed, and the moon resumed it's bright, white glow. You could clearly see his emerald eyes now. "Well, it doesn't matter who I am now," he said, walking to the edge of the balcony that Rinoa took for shelter, "because I'm here alone with you, and no one will hear you scream."

Rinoa bit her lip, and tears streamed from her eyes. "I don't care what you do to me, but I want Squall back safely, Raiun!"

"Didn't you know? He fell out of your window in the struggle. He hit the ground, and all his bones probably shattered. His neck and spine mangled, his blood and organs spewed all across the concrete--"

"Stop!" She screamed. She began to break down and fell to her knees. "Tell me where he is!"

"I told you. Within the ground, most likely." He kneeled down to her. "And I'm here with you. I've blockaded the doors, so you cannot run, and no one will hear you scream."

"I'll fight you if I must," Rinoa muttered.

"And you expect to win?"

"Perhaps not, but I do intend to win," a voice whispered.

Raiun turned his head only to feel it forced in the other direction when backhanded. He hit the ground, and wiped the blood from his lip. He looked up to a figure dressed in dark attire, and backed away from him when he saw the glowing scarlet he saw of the prior lunar eclipse in his eyes.

(Evil, aren't I?)


	19. The Man in Black

The Man in Black  
  
Rinoa stayed pinned against the balcony, and looked down below to the hundreds of feet that dropped off the side of the Garden. She feared this would end the way it did the night Raiun attempted to rape her.  
  
Raiun backed for the Garden doors, crawling back on his hands and knees. He heard the clicking of boots coming at him slowly, and attempted to stand. He felt the man swiftly kick him in his side, and returned to a feeble position.  
  
Raiun heard the "clink" of metal hit the ground. He followed a blade all the way up to the man's hand, and found it being pointed in his face. He felt sweat trickle down the back of his neck and the blade was inches from his eyes.  
  
"So, you wanted to act like me?" Raiun heard him say.  
  
He lifted the blade, and swung it downward, starting to swing for between Raiun's eyes, but then hesitated, and swung at him again. He, instead, cut a deep gash in his cheek. Raiun yelped in pain, and moved his hand to his cheek, feeling the mark in his face, and wiped away some of the blood.  
  
"Now you can't look just like me--" Raiun heard him say. He stepped out of the shadows, and Raiun could see his face. "Not with a scar unlike mine," Squall said. "Now scram, before I decide to leave a scar down your neck and chest."  
  
Raiun stood, still holding his cheek, the blood dripping off of his hands. He removed the key to the lock keeping the door shut from his pocket. He unlock it, grinned, and flung the doors open.  
  
"Looks like the bad guy got away," he laughed.  
  
Squall smirked, and glanced past the doors.  
  
Raiun turned around, finding a crowd behind them, Selphie, Zell, and Irvine in front. Zell smiled, and Selphie stuck her tongue out. Quistis and Cid were at either end of them.  
  
"Take him away, Zak, Tameo," Quistis ordered.  
  
Two tall boys dressed in distinguished SeeD uniforms took each of Raiun's arms tightly, and "escorted" him away from the school. Selphie giggled, and ran for Rinoa, who was still leaned against the balcony. It appeared that she had passed out. Selphie smiled.  
  
"You're going to be fine, Rinny," she said.  
  
Zell walked over to Squall, Irvine by his side. "Playing hero again, Squall?" Zell joked.  
  
Squall shrugged, at first looking serious, but then was relieved, and smiled. "Of course. Wasn't she a damsel in distress?"  
  
Irvine rolled his eyes. "Please don't be all mushy around us. You got your princess back."  
  
Zell laughed. "I don't know, Squall. Wouldn't you agree that Irvine looks mighty attractive in those braids? I think he's jealous."  
  
Irvine frowned. "I'm not that drunk, you know."  
  
Selphie groaned. "Oh, man. I was going to pull some stuff on you if you were."  
  
"I'll make sure to stay sober, then," Irvine assured her.  
  
"You had better," Quistis added. "Alright, enough nonsense. Show's over. Get everyone back inside."  
  
"Yes, ma'am," Irvine said.  
  
Everyone went back inside. Zell, Irvine, and Selphie had returned to the dormitories. They stayed in Selphie's dorm room, laughing and reminiscing back on all that had happened. Everyone else departed to their own destinations.  
  
Squall had taken Rinoa to the infirmary, and lied her down on one of the beds. He sat at her side in a chair, staring at her radiating face, and smiled. He leaned down, lightly kissing her on the forehead just before drifting off to sleep in the chair at her side.  
  
(The story is coming to an end. Get ready for the ending coming up! Sorry this chapter was shorter than f00k. I expected it to be longer S) 


	20. A Rare Find

(Disclaimer: Since I'm nearing completion on this story, I'm going to back off on Natural Disaster and Worlds Apart for a while.)  
  
A Rare Find  
  
Rinoa opened her eyes, and tried hard to focus. She thought she saw Squall, but hesitated, at first, to say anything.  
  
"Is it really you?" She said quietly. She moved her hand to his face, and felt between his eyes. She felt a scar.  
  
He smiled. "Yes, it's me. I have the scar to prove it," he joked.  
  
She smiled back. "What time is it?"  
  
"It's nearing midnight," he responded.  
  
Rinoa sat up from the infirmary bed, and moved to the edge. She stood and waited for her eyes to focus in the darkness. "So, the party's still going on?"  
  
"Yeah, but there isn't much time." Squall looked away from her for a moment, bit his lip, and looked back to her. "There's something I need to tell you. Come with me."  
  
Rinoa took his hand and wore a curious look. "What's this all about?"  
  
Squall smiled nervously. "I'll tell you when we get there."  
  
Squall took Rinoa's hand and led her from the infirmary to the Quad, where the balcony stood. The moon still glowed radiantly. Rinoa was watching it, her dark eyes lit up by the large sphere. Squall felt his heart pounding.  
  
Ka-thump, ka-thump.  
  
Rinoa smiled, and looked back to Squall, who was behind her. She yawned, and stretched. "So, what is it?"  
  
Ka-thump, ka-thump.

* * *

"You're sure?" Zell asked.  
  
"Positive," said the doctor of the infirmary, "I saw them leave here just a few minutes ago. You just missed them."  
  
"Wonder where they went?" Selphie questioned. "You think Squall's popping her the question?"  
  
"He was going to make it public, Selphie," Irvine reminded her, "so we have to find him and remind him. I wanna see what becomes of this."  
  
"But the ring--" Zell started. He forgot that he hadn't informed either Irvine or Selphie of the missing ring.  
  
"I wanna see the ring! I wanna see Squally slip it on her finger, and as her eyes fill with tears, he asks 'Rinoa, will you marry me?' Oh, Zelly, it would be so romantic!" Selphie squealed.  
  
Before Zell could respond, Selphie had him by the hand and sprinted down the halls. Irvine was close behind. They nearly missed bumping into Quistis who was going to check on Rinoa as well.  
  
"How's Rinoa doing?" Quistis asked.  
  
"We're going to go see her right now!" Selphie said.  
  
"But the infirmary is right behind you," Quistis replied confused.  
  
"Squall is somewhere with her, about to propose to her, we think," Irvine told her.  
  
"You don't understand--" Zell started.  
  
"They're probably in the Quad by the balcony," Quistis told them. "Selphie, Zell, you both round up all the other students and tell them to meet at the Quad balcony. Hurry, now!"  
  
"What do I do?" Irvine asked.  
  
"You come with me and we'll fling the doors open when the time comes," Quistis told him.  
  
"Er, I'll get back with on that. I haven't had anything to eat and I'm starving. I'll head on over to the lobby for a quick pick-me-up."  
  
"We'll be back in two shakes! See you in a sec, Quisty!" Selphie squeaked, pulling Zell along to the lobby.  
  
"Whew, boy.." Zell groaned.

* * *

"It's crazy how things.. work out, you know?" Squall said, depressed.  
  
"Something wrong?" Rinoa asked, concerned.  
  
"Well, I meant to do something for you, and all of it did come out wrong. Everything's wrong, don't you see?"  
  
"What do you mean? I could've been killed, or you could have been killed, from Raiun. You came and saved me twice. Your esteem should be super high," Rinoa said, smiling and trying to cheer him up.  
  
Squall closed his eyes, leaning over the balcony. "You don't understand. I really tried to do something good for you. You.. mean more to me than you know."  
  
Rinoa's raven locks blew in the light breeze. She blinked. "I'm a little confused. You did do good for me. Rescuing me isn't good? Is that what you're trying to tell me?"  
  
"Don't assume anything bad. I mean more than I say."  
  
"Then don't be so complicated. Just spit it out."  
  
Ka-thump, ka-thump.

* * *

"You don't say," Xu exclaimed. "Why didn't Quistis ever tell me?"  
  
"Because she wanted to keep it secret. We thought Squall would be announcing it publicly, but he obviously isn't," Selphie said, "so we need you to gather as many people as possible."  
  
Edea, who had been listening, said "I'll help," and stood at the top of the stairs to help Xu hush the crowd.  
  
"Everyone," Xu started, "there is an important event taking place at this moment, in the Quad."  
  
Selphie ran up the stairs to Xu's side. Everyone had their attention on all three of them now. "Squall is proposing to Rinoa."  
  
There was chatter and giggles, and light applause. Edea put a finger to her lips to signal silence. "But it's a secret. Everyone head to the Quad, but don't bust in until Quistis orders you to."  
  
The crowd was led down the halls in complete silence, Selphie trying desperately to keep the normal walking pace of the others. She was so jittery. She looked back in the lobby, and Irvine was standing over the food, a plate of fish in his hand.  
  
"Irvine, come on!" She shouted after grabbing his hand and leading him down the hall. "We gotta get there on time!"

* * *

"Rinoa, there was something I was going to get you," Squall confessed, "something to show you how much you're worth."  
  
"Couldn't have been much," Rinoa joked.  
  
Squall didn't smile. "But I lost it."  
  
"What are you talking about?" Rinoa asked quietly.  
  
"Rinoa.."  
  
"Now!" Rinoa heard someone shout. The balcony doors flew open, and everyone pressed onto the balcony a bit to watch the show. "You can continue now, Squall," Quistis said.  
  
Irvine was hacking his head off, and Selphie was elbowing him in the ribs lightly. "Irvine, shut up," she said.  
  
"I can't breathe--" Irvine choked.  
  
Selphie walked behind him, wrapped her arms around his stomach, and thrusted her hands inward. A large piece of fish flew from his mouth and onto the ground next to Squall. He heard something clink.  
  
"What the--" He knelled down to pick it up. Something shined in the chewed up food. Grossed out, he wiped the food from the shining object to find a ring--Rinoa's.  
  
"Thank God you didn't swallow that!" Zell exclaimed.  
  
Irvine was still trying to catch his breath, and didn't respond. "What was that?" Selphie asked.  
  
"That's what I was trying to tell you--" Zell started.  
  
"Rinoa--" Squall began. Zell stopped talking.  
  
"Yes?" Rinoa said as she looked into his eyes.  
  
"Would you.. marry me?" He asked, slipping the ring onto her finger after wiping the fish bits off of it.  
  
Rinoa looked down at the ring, which seemed dark and black in the shadows, but refracted a deep blue in the moonlight. Her eyes filled with tears. She looked into his dark eyes, and smiled. "Yes, I will marry you."  
  
They embraced and kissed deeply and passionately. Everyone at the balcony doors cheered, and Squall heard cheering below the balcony as well. He pulled away from Rinoa and looked over the balcony to find all of the townspeople of Balamb cheering frantically below them. He recognized Seifer and Fujjin, even from so far away, Fujjin's child in her arms. Squall smiled, nodding to Seifer as a thanks for bringing them all that far.  
  
The cheers were carried by the warm summer breeze far beyond the Balamb shores. Squall didn't know that Ellone and his father also stood proudly beneath the Balamb Garden balcony. News quickly spread of the proposal across the coast into the following morning.  
  
(Aww, how sweet. One or two chapters left. Can't quite decide yet) 


	21. Graduation

Graduation  
  
The following morning was graduation. All of them would be leaving, and Quistis's heart felt as though it were in her stomach. Cid would announce all of their names and say something about them. She hoped he wouldn't be TOO harsh.  
  
The students who were SeeD's wore their SeeD uniforms and everyone else dressed formally. Rinoa and Squall sat near the front row, holding hands, Rinoa leaned on Squall's shoulder. Zell, Selphie, Irvine, Seifer, Fujjin, with little Neeva, and Rajjin sat in chairs near them.  
  
Everyone was on the staircase in the lobby of the Garden. Cid stood below them, and looked up to them all, smiling warmly. "This is a joyous, yet sad day for me.. but mostly joyous." Everyone giggled a little, and he continued. "I will call you all out by alphabetical order and hand you your diplomas:  
  
"Seifer Almasy. Though you caused much trouble to all of us in some sense, if not in the Disiplinary Committee, then joining Edea when she was possessed, you were loyal to Fujjin and more people than they realized. I realize you could have your obnoxious moments, but you led well against.. or for.. the Galbadia soldiers."  
  
"Zell Dincht. You always knew how to clear out the hotdogs in the lunchroom, provided you could get to them on time. You were a great fighter and joker. Though you and Selphie being a couple just recently has caused everyone a bit of stress, you still hang in there when times are tough."  
  
"Irvine Kinneas. I never got to know you very well, but what I do remember of you, I remember as good times. Just recently, I heard you are going back to Galbadia. Though it pains me that I may not be seeing you around here, I hope you find happiness back at your old home. You always kid around with all the ladies, and men at times, and kept everyone in high spirits."  
  
"Fujjin Kogiera. You were so quiet and somehow mischievious when I first met you. Actually, to be truthful, when I first saw you, you seemed so sweet, but then I was quickly misjudged when you joined Seifer in the Disiplinary Committee, but now I am glad it happened because you and Seifer seem to be so happy together. I wish you luck with you, Seifer, and Neeva."  
  
"Rajjin Kogiera. All I got to say is.. you're the best damn fish catcher and cook around these parts." Everyone couldn't help but laugh. "I remember that you always had a humorous side, and found everything funny. Why, I could hear you from a mile away, just laughing your lungs out, but I enjoyed hearing it and getting to know you."  
  
"Rinoa.. Leonhart." Everyone cheered wildly when they heard her new last name. Cid smiled. "You seemed quiet, yet optimistic when I first met you. You strategized well in battle and always kept everyone in high spirits next to Selphie. Squall Leonhart, if it weren't for her, you may still be a little down in the dumps, am I right?"  
  
Squall scratched his head and smiled shyly. Everyone continued cheering when they left back to their seats. Selphie stood up, her lip pouty. "They get cheering and applause, and then it's old Selphie to come up and get her diploma."  
  
Everyone chuckled a bit, then Selphie took her diploma.  
  
"Selphie Tilmitt. There was not one time of peace when you came here from Trabia. I wonder how many people you had as friends back as Trabia. Surely, not as many as you made here and as quickly. I thought you talked a lot before and caused mischief, but you and Zell being a couple didn't help anything. Nevertheless, I enjoyed having you."  
  
Everyone giggled and chattered for a moment to the people at their sides, and then Cid raised his hand to resume silence. "I have one more announcement. Quistis Trepe, please come up here."  
  
Everyone squeeled and applauded wildly. Quistis blushed somewhat, and was confused about what was going on. "I would like Edea to become an instructor here at this Garden, and for Quistis, with her skills and personality, to run it for me." The applause loudened. Quistis stood there, feeling awkward when the noise died down, but she had to admit it:  
  
"I have attended this Garden since I was young, and always dreamed of being Headmaster, and kind of a sense of bossing people around, but I know I can't do that anymore. I've gone to this Garden as an instructor, but still feeling as though I'm a student, because I was admitted as an instructor so early. Growing up with these students, who are also my childhood friends, I realize that I can't stay here and watch them go off. I.. want to be with them."  
  
"You had better," Laguna shouted from the entrance, "because we're having a party at my place."  
  
The bell for school to end had rung and everyone stood and piled for the doors. "School hasn't ended quite yet!" Cid shouted, but no one heard him. Edea placed a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"I could resume as Headmaster," she said, and smiled.  
  
Cid watched Quistis run off with the others, laughing as though she were a student again. Cid smiled. "I would appreciate it. I wouldn't have the heart to take her happiness, or any of theirs, away from them."  
  
THE END 


End file.
